Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on March 26 said that it has allowed ‘friendly nations’ like India, Pakistan, Iraq, China and Russia to use the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway in the Gulf that has taken centre stage amid the ongoing Iran-US war.
World bodies, including the United Nations, have been calling for opening Hormuz as fuel prices are surging globally. Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, said that the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz is choking the movement of oil, gas, & fertilzer at a ‘critical moment in the global planting season’.
Earlier on March 25, the Iranian mission in New York said that they will allow the passage of what it called “non-hostile vessels” through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s parliament is reportedly working on a draft bill to charge a fee in exchange for providing security to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The plan, according to the semi-official Fars news agency, is likely to be finalised next week.