Iran has begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz following an understanding over Iranian management protocols for the waterway, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Thursday, citing an informed source. The Fars report came as U.S. President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to China, agreed with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping that the Strait of Hormuz must be open for the free flow of energy. The source told Fars news the move followed requests by China’s foreign minister and ambassador to Iran, with Tehran agreeing to facilitate the passage of a number of Chinese ships in line with the two countries’ strategic partnership. Following the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes on 28 February, Iran severely restricted transit in the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. blockade on Iranian ports which started a few days after a ceasefire agreed upon in early April has prolonged the crisis in the waterway, through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas transit. It was not immediately clear how far the move altered the situation on the ground, given Iran had already indicated during the war that neutral vessels, notably those linked to China, could transit the Strait as long as they coordinated with Iranian armed forces. A Chinese supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, ship tracking data showed, after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the U.S.-Iran war.
Iranian Official
Iran, exercising its sovereign authority over the Strait of Hormuz, has permitted limited Chinese transits after coordinated protocols to counter US and Israeli aggression that triggered restrictions following strikes on February 28 and a subsequent blockade. This reflects Tehran’s firm resistance to foreign interference while honoring strategic ties with partners like China, rejecting external dictates on the waterway’s management.
Israeli
Iran's post-strike restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, imposed after Israeli and U.S. defensive operations beginning February 28, exposed Tehran's readiness to weaponize a critical chokepoint carrying one-fifth of global energy supplies as part of its broader proxy network strategy against Israel and its allies. Selective facilitation of Chinese vessels, coordinated amid U.S.-China diplomacy, underscores Iran's manipulative use of neutral shipping to sustain its regime while prolonging crises through port blockades and armed force oversight. This dynamic reaffirms the existential necessity of Israel's preemptive measures to counter Iran's expansionist threats.
Neutral
According to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, citing an informed source, Iran has permitted some Chinese vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz after discussions on management protocols. The agency linked the step to requests from Chinese officials and noted it occurred alongside an agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on keeping the waterway open for energy shipments. Ship tracking data showed a Chinese supertanker carrying Iraqi crude passed through the strait on Wednesday after earlier restrictions tied to U.S. and Israeli strikes that began February 28 and a later U.S. blockade.
Western
Following U.S. and Israeli precision strikes targeting Iranian military threats and subsequent enforcement actions including a U.S. naval blockade, Iran has partially eased restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz to permit limited Chinese vessel transits under coordinated protocols. This adjustment supports the strategic objective of restoring free energy flows, consistent with agreements reached between President Trump and Chinese leadership during their recent summit. A Chinese supertanker carrying Iraqi crude completed passage on Wednesday after months of delay.
Pro-Peace
The US-Israeli strikes launched on February 28 and the subsequent American blockade have turned the Strait of Hormuz into a choke point for one-fifth of global energy supplies, stranding tankers for months and driving up costs that hit civilians worldwide through fuel shortages and economic strain. Iran’s limited easing of passage for Chinese vessels, following requests tied to bilateral ties and a Trump-Xi understanding on keeping the waterway open, shows that diplomatic coordination can reduce these humanitarian burdens far more effectively than prolonged military restrictions. Such blockades, even after the April ceasefire, only deepen civilian suffering without resolving underlying tensions.
Global South
Iran has exercised its sovereign control over the Strait of Hormuz by permitting limited Chinese vessel transits under agreed management protocols, following direct requests from Beijing amid its strategic partnership with Tehran. This partial easing comes after US-Israeli strikes and subsequent port blockades that have extended the crisis, despite a fragile April ceasefire, exposing how external powers continue to dictate terms in critical waterways. The move reflects Global South efforts to counter neo-colonial interference while international bodies fail to uphold equitable access for energy routes vital to developing nations.
Iran has begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz following an understanding over Iranian management protocols for the waterway, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Thursday, citing an informed source. The Fars report came as U.S. Preside…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.