Regional
Ships crossing Hormuz need OK from IRGC, unfreezing funds part of deal, Iran official says
The official added that certain routes through Hormuz would remain open, but added that those would need to be determined as secure by Iran.
All ships can sail through the Strait of Hormuz but this needs to be coordinated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that unfreezing Iranian funds was part of the deal.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that the strait was open after a ceasefire accord was agreed in Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come “soon”, although the timing remains unclear.
Hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers have remained stranded inside the Gulf waiting to pass through the key waterway, which handles about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
The Iranian official said transits would be restricted to lanes that Iran deemed safe, adding that military vessels were still prohibited from crossing the strait.
“Releasing Iran’s funds was part of the agreement for reopening the strait,” the official noted, referring to an estimated $30 billion in frozen revenue, generated mainly from oil and gas exports, blocked amid U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
It was not immediately clear if this included or excluded the established Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) lanes for entering and exiting the Gulf used by international shipping since the 1970s.
“Even U.S. vessels would be permitted, excluding military ships,” he said.
The official added that certain routes through Hormuz would remain open, but added that those would need to be determined as secure by Iran.
“Navigation would take place in coordination with Iran, and with authorisation from the Guards and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization to ensure the safety of shipping,” the official said.
Shortly after Araqchi’s statement, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR PASSAGE”.
Trump added that the U.S. military blockade of ships sailing through the strait to and from Iranian ports, announced after talks with Iran last weekend in Pakistan which ended without agreement, remained in place.
Iranian state media, citing an unnamed official, said if the U.S. blockade persists, Tehran will consider it a violation of ceasefire and will re-close strait.
Iran could let ships sail freely through the Omani side of the strait without risk of attack under proposals Tehran has offered in talks with the U.S., providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran told Reuters this week.
Iran has warned of mines placed in the strait, a threat taken seriously by ship owners, insurance underwriters, and firms sending cargo.
That threat is not fully understood and avoidance of the area by ships should be considered, a U.S. Navy advisory said on Friday.
“Status of TSS mine threat is not fully understood. Consider avoidance of that area,” the US Navy’s U.S. NCAGS agency said in the advisory sent to mariners and seen by Reuters.
It was not immediately clear whether the advisory was sent before or after the announcement about the strait being open.
Shipping industry associations said they were reviewing the situation.
“The announcement … by U.S. President Donald Trump that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open is inaccurate. The status of mine threats in the Traffic Separation Scheme is unclear,” said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer with shipping association BIMCO.
“BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area”.
The UN’s shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said it was reviewing the situation.
“We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.
Regional
Azerbaijan hosts record-breaking World Urban Forum in Baku
The event is also seen as an opportunity for Azerbaijan to showcase its long-term vision for sustainable urban planning and regional development to a global audience.
Azerbaijan is hosting the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku from May 17 to May 22, bringing together tens of thousands of participants from around the world to discuss the future of sustainable cities and urban development.
The forum officially opened on Saturday at the Baku Olympic Stadium and is being organized jointly by the Azerbaijani government and UN-Habitat.
According to organizers, more than 40,000 participants from 182 countries have registered for the event, making it the largest edition in the forum’s history and highlighting Azerbaijan’s growing role as a host of major international gatherings.
Government officials, urban planners, investors, academics and representatives from international organizations and civil society are expected to participate in discussions on sustainable urbanization, climate resilience, affordable housing, digital transformation and the development of environmentally friendly cities.
A key focus of this year’s forum will be Azerbaijan’s reconstruction and development projects in Karabakh and East Zangazur. Officials are expected to present the country’s “smart city” and “smart village” initiatives in the formerly conflict-affected territories, alongside plans to develop the region as a green energy zone.
The event is also seen as an opportunity for Azerbaijan to showcase its long-term vision for sustainable urban planning and regional development to a global audience.
For the first time in the history of the World Urban Forum, the event will include a special Leaders’ Summit segment aimed at increasing high-level political dialogue on global urban challenges.
To accommodate the large international audience, simultaneous interpretation is being provided in the six official United Nations languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish — as well as Azerbaijani and Turkish.
Regional media representatives, including reporters covering the forum from Baku, are also attending the event to provide on-the-ground coverage of the discussions and outcomes.
Regional
Gaza mosques announce death of Hamas military leader after Israeli targeting claim
Mosques in northern Gaza on Saturday announced that Hamas’ military wing commander had died, a day after Israel’s military said that it had targeted the armed wing chief in airstrikes.
Witnesses said that mosques in Gaza City had announced Izz al-Din al-Haddad’s “martyrdom”. There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the fate of the group’s military chief, Reuters reported.
Israel has not said if he was killed in the air strikes.
Regional
Iran has ‘no trust’ in US, will negotiate only if it is serious, Araqchi says
Tehran has “no trust” in the U.S. and is interested in negotiating with Washington only if it is serious, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday, as talks on ending the war remained on hold.
Araqchi told reporters in New Delhi that all vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz except those “at war” with Tehran, if they coordinate with Iran’s navy.
But the situation around the waterway, vital to global energy and commodities markets, was “very complicated”, he added, during a visit to attend a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in India.
In a post on X, Araqchi said he told India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that “Iran will always carry out historical duty as protector of security in Hormuz,” according to his post on X.
Iran effectively shut the strait, which normally handles about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and gas supply, to most shipping after the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran in February.
-
Business4 days agoAfghanistan signs $46 million deal to develop standard laboratory complexes
-
World16 hours agoLarge blast near Beit Shemesh part of pre-planned test: Israeli defense firm
-
Latest News4 days agoMinister of Refugees meets Sadin Ay Yildiz, discusses Afghan migrant issues in Turkey
-
Latest News3 days agoIEA FM receives credentials of new ICRC head in Afghanistan
-
Latest News2 days agoAfghan migrant arrested over alleged assault of schoolgirl in Germany
-
World5 days agoUS war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far, Pentagon says
-
Latest News3 days agoUS CENTCOM chief says Afghanistan remains key terrorism concern
-
Latest News5 days agoKhalilzad accuses Pakistan of playing ‘double game’ amid Iran-US tensions
