(Tehran, 17th) Iranian state television reported on the 16th that some European countries have reached out to Iranian authorities to negotiate about the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, though the report did not specify which countries are involved.
Since the United States and Israel bombed Iran on February 28, sparking war, Tehran has largely blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway. On April 8, the warring parties agreed to a ceasefire, which has remained in a fragile state since.
The report from Iranian state television said, "After ships from East Asian countries, particularly from China, Japan, and Pakistan, passed through the Strait of Hormuz, we have today received news that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy" in order to obtain transit permissions.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a statement saying that in recent days, dozens of ships from countries such as China have been "granted permission to transit after agreeing to Iran’s regulatory framework for the management of the Strait of Hormuz."
Before the outbreak of war between the U.S. and Iran, about one fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz, along with several other important bulk commodities.
After the war began, Iran has repeatedly stated that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz "will not return to pre-war conditions"; in April, it also said it had received its first batch of strait transit fee income.