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bnm Gulf bureau

Iran says Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping subject to navy coordination

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all commercial vessels provided they coordinate with the Iranian navy, blaming a US "blockade" for disruption to one of the world's most critical oil shipping routes.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping subject to navy coordination
Araghchi meeting with Oman's leadership (file)
May 14, 2026

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all commercial vessels provided they coordinate with the Iranian navy, in remarks on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, Iranian outlet Borna News reported on May 14.

Speaking to Iran's state broadcaster Press TV, Araghchi said the waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supply passes, was suffering primarily from what he described as a US-imposed blockade rather than any Iranian restriction.

"From our perspective, the Strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial vessels, but they must cooperate with our naval forces," Araghchi said.

"We have not created any obstacles. It is America that has created the blockade, and I hope this situation will end with the lifting of this illegal blockade imposed by the United States," the foreign minister said.

The comments come amid heightened maritime tension in the Gulf following the recent conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States. The UKMTO maritime reporting agency on May 14 said a vessel anchored 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah had been boarded by unauthorised personnel and was sailing towards Iranian territorial waters.

Iran's judiciary has separately defended the detention of US-flagged oil tankers in Iranian waters as legitimate under domestic law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, framing the seizures as a legal response to what Tehran has called US "piracy" against Iranian shipping.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, carries oil shipments from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq and Iran. Disruption to traffic through the chokepoint has historically driven sharp moves in global crude prices.

In a separate exchange at the same BRICS meeting, Araghchi accused the United Arab Emirates of being an "active partner" in the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, alleging that Emirati territory had been used to launch strikes and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had visited Abu Dhabi during the war.

"Your coalition with the Israelis did not protect you either, and you should reconsider your policy towards Iran," Araghchi said.

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