Iran has officially announced that passage through the Strait of Hormuz now requires authorization from Tehran, IRNA reports.
According to Iranian authorities, the right to safe passage now “directly depends on the level of engagement with Iranian authorities.” States not involved in the conflict, in order to ensure the safety of their vessels, are “required to undergo a process of full coordination with Iran’s competent authorities.”
At the same time, Tehran warned that it could fully close the strait in the event of an attack on Iranian islands, coastline, or power plants. According to IRNA, “the Defense Council confirmed its readiness to deliver a decisive and destructive strike on the enemy’s energy infrastructure in response to any attack on Iranian power plants. As a warning, the Council stated that in the event of any act of aggression against Iranian islands or coastline, Iranian forces would begin large-scale mining of all approaches and communication routes in the Persian Gulf. For this purpose, modern naval mines will be used, including drifting mines deployed from the shore. If this scenario is implemented, the Persian Gulf would effectively become a ‘closed zone’ for an extended period.”