Until recently, the Iranian leadership had shown itself to be unimpressed by US pressure – it believes it has the staying power, especially since rising gasoline prices in the USA are putting pressure on Trump and his Republicans in an election year. In response to “Project Freedom,” Iranian Parliament Speaker and his country’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on Platform
Tehran insists on its demand to control traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. This should be achieved with the help of a new approval process. According to Iranian state media, operators of ships wanting to sail through the strait will receive an email with rules and regulations for passage. The ships then needed permission from an Iranian authority (Persian Gulf Strait Authority) for the transit, reported the state broadcaster Press TV.
It initially remained unclear what the rules would be and how Iran could react to violations. According to Press TV, the mechanism is already operational in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – the Islamic Republic’s elite military force – warned ships on Tuesday not to pass through the strait via unauthorized routes or face a “firm response.”
To secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the USA drafted a UN resolution together with allied Gulf states. In it, the parties call on Iran to refrain from further violent escalations in the strait, as US Secretary of State Rubio announced.
Tehran should stop attacking ships, mining the strait and charging tolls for passage, the resolution says. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar were involved in the draft.
