Iran creates agency to vet, tax ships passing through Strait of Hormuz

TEHRAN: Iran has established a government agency to screen and tax vessels seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns over commercial shipping through one of the world’s key energy transit routes, media reports said.

The development was reported by a shipping data company on Thursday as Tehran said it was reviewing the latest United States proposals aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.

The new mechanism is expected to formalise Iran’s control over traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds of commercial vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf awaiting access to open sea routes.

Despite tensions in the region, international markets showed signs of optimism on expectations that the conflict could move toward a settlement.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was reviewing messages delivered by Pakistan, which is mediating negotiations between Iran and the United States.

According to Iranian state television, Baghaei said Iran had not yet reached a conclusion and had not responded to the United States proposal.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported exchanges of fire involving Iranian armed forces and “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

Qeshm Island, the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, has a population of around 150,000 and hosts a water desalination facility.

No further details regarding the incident were released, while White House and the United States Central Command did not immediately comment.

Separately, Iranian media reported explosions and defensive fire in western Tehran on Friday, while semi-official agencies Fars and Tasnim said blasts were also heard near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

The reports did not identify the source of the explosions.