Iran Creates New Agency to Control Shipping in Strait of Hormuz while Reviewing Peace Deal with US
Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a shipping data company reported Thursday, as Tehran said it was reviewing the latest US proposals for ending the war.
The Iranian effort to formalise control over the channel raised new concerns about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial ships bottled up in the Arabian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the two-month conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets.
Islamabad seeks repatriation of Pakistani, Iranian seafarers on board seized vessels
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that he has asked Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for support in efforts to repatriate Pakistani and Iranian seafarers who are on board vessels seized by US forces and currently nearing Singaporean waters.
Posting on X, Dar also said he was coordinating with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and that Pakistan “stands ready to facilitate the safe repatriation of Iranian nationals to Iran via Pakistan”.
Dar said there were 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers on board the seized vessels
First oil tanker reaches South Korea after passing blockaded Hormuz Strait
The AFP news agency reports that an oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz has arrived in South Korea, the first such vessel to reach the country by transiting the strait amid Iran’s blockade.
The Malta-flagged Odessa was spotted at about 10am local time on Friday (01:00 GMT) near a mooring facility off the coast of Seosan, according to AFP.
The arrival of the vessel, and its cargo of an estimated one million barrels of crude oil, will likely ease concerns in South Korea over energy security as the US-Israel war on Iran curtails global supplies.
Industry sources said the cargo will undergo refining before being supplied to the domestic market as petroleum products, including petrol and diesel.
The Odessa passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, a source told AFP, during a brief reprieve in the blockade.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency also reported on Friday that a South Korean vessel recently damaged by an explosion and fire off the UAE has arrived in Dubai port, where an investigation of the cause of the blast will be conducted.
South Korean officials have said they will suspend judgement on the cause of the blast, which some had claimed was the result of an Iranian attack, until the investigation is complete.
The HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged vessel operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co, was towed to Dubai port after the explosion on Monday.
Israeli artillery strikes south Lebanon; Lebanese medical teams withdraw under fire
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports that Israeli artillery is shelling the outskirts of al-Mansouri and Byout el-Saiyad in the south of the country, and extending to the al-Mansouri-Hamra coastline.
The shelling is reportedly originating from positions south of Tyre.
At dawn, an Israeli force backed by several military vehicles attempted to advance towards Byout el-Saiyad. The move was supported by heavy artillery strikes, with attack helicopters conducting sweeping operations in the area.
Last night, a warning strike targeted the Lebanese Red Cross and Lebanese Army medical teams as they travelled towards the municipality of Zibqin, according to NAA.
The medical teams were attempting to recover bodies and evacuate the wounded following an earlier raid, but were forced to withdraw under Israeli fire, NAA said.
Additionally, a huge detonation was carried out by Israeli forces within the town of al-Khiam, it said.
Source: Al Jazeera
