Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Monday evening that a memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad recognizes the sovereign rights of coastal states, meaning Iran exercises sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that the strait will not return to its previous status and that Iran will determine shipping routes, warning that vessels seeking alternative routes will be prevented.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Monday evening escalated Tehran's maritime posture, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz will not revert to its pre-war status and that Iran will dictate shipping routes in the strategic waterway. Speaking about the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad, Gharibabadi asserted that the document recognizes coastal states' sovereign rights and that Iran consequently exercises sovereignty over the strait. He warned, "If a vessel seeks to pass through another route, we will prevent it from doing so."
The statement follows a series of similar declarations from senior Iranian officials over recent weeks, as reported by The Zioneer. Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf on June 17 said the strait would not return to pre-war conditions, and again on June 23 stated that Iran would manage the waterway under Iranian regulations. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on June 12 detailed a joint toll plan with Oman. All these pronouncements are part of a sustained Iranian campaign to assert unilateral control over the world's most critical maritime chokepoint, amid ongoing US-Iran negotiations and a fragile ceasefire framework.
Gharibabadi's remarks come from Iranian state-aligned channels; no independent confirmation of the MOU's text or its specific provisions on shipping has been published. The claim of sovereignty over the strait is disputed by several littoral states and the international community.
2 developments
- ConfirmedVelayati declares 'zero hour has arrived' as Iran warns of straits closure
- DevelopingIranian negotiator says Strait of Hormuz 'will never return' to pre-war status
- DevelopingIranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf: Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war status
- DevelopingIranian official demands non-interference in Strait of Hormuz, warns of complications
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake