Iran has allowed ships from some countries to cross Strait of Hormuz, deputy FM says

Iran has allowed ships from some countries to cross the Strait of Hormuz, deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says, denying the Islamic Republic is laying mines there as the waterway remains effectively closed during the war with the US and Israel.

“Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them,” says Takht-Ravanchi during an interview with AFP in Tehran.

“As far as Iran is concerned, we feel that those countries that joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” he says.

Takht-Ravanchi adds that Iran is not laying mines in the strait, after US President Donald Trump said US forces had struck 28 Iranian minelaying vessels in the waterway.

“Not at all. This is not true,” he says when asked about reports of Iran laying mines in the strategic waterway.

He also says Iran wants to ensure that a war will not be imposed on it again in the future.

“We want to see that war is not going to be imposed again on Iran,” says Takht-Ravanchi. “When the war started last June, after 12 days there was so-called cessation of hostilities… but after eight or nine months, they regrouped and they did it again.”