Iranian state TV says Europe seeks Iran talks on Hormuz passage
Iranian state television says several European countries have begun talks with Tehran after ships from China, Japan and Pakistan passed through.
- Several European countries are negotiating with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy to seek permission for their ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran has largely controlled and blocked the key shipping route since a war with the US and Israel began in early 2026, disrupting global markets.
- Passage is conditional on agreeing to Iran's new management regulations and paying fees, a system already used to allow passage for ships from China, Japan, and Pakistan.
- Iran has stated the route will remain closed to any operators associated with "Project Freedom," a US military operation to guide ships.
Iranian state television reported on Saturday (May 16, 2026) that several European countries were negotiating with Tehran to allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“After ships from countries in East Asia, particularly China, Japan and Pakistan, were able to pass through the strait, we received information today that several European countries have begun talks with the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to seek permission to pass,” Iranian state television reported, without specifying which countries were involved.
Iran has largely blocked shipping through the key strait since the war with the United States and Israel broke out on Saturday (February 28, 2026). A fragile ceasefire agreement has been in place since Wednesday (April 8, 2026).
Iran’s control of the shipping route has disrupted global markets and given Tehran considerable bargaining power, while the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
In peacetime, the waterway carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas, as well as other key commodities.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that in recent days Iran had allowed dozens of vessels, including ships from China, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz “after reaching an agreement on Iran’s regulations for managing the strait”.
Since the war erupted, Iran has repeatedly said maritime traffic through the strait would “not return to the way it was before the war”, and last month said it had received the first instalment of revenue from fees charged to ships passing through the waterway.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee, said on Saturday (May 16, 2026) that Iran “has prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic through the strait” and added that the mechanism would be unveiled soon.
“In this process, only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran will benefit,” Azizi said, adding that “the necessary fees will be collected for specialised services”.
Azizi also said that “this route will remain closed to operators of ‘Project Freedom’”, referring to a temporary US military operation to guide stranded commercial ships out of the strait.
