Iran has said it has opened the Strait of Hormuz to “non-hostile vessels” if they coordinate with Iranian authorities, offering relief to markets shaken by war in the Middle East.
Tehran said in a note to the UN that ships could pass through the strait – a key waterway for about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas – “on condition that they do not participate in or support acts of aggression against Iran.”
Oil prices were further steadied overnight by Donald Trump’s claims that he had sent Iran a 15-point peace plan and that Tehran had agreed never to possess nuclear weapons.
Israeli media reports that the unconfirmed plan includes demands that Iran destroy key nuclear facilities, open itself to inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog and give up the use of proxy armed forces in the region.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Iran would receive American assistance in developing a civilian nuclear project for electricity generation, the lifting of all sanctions and the elimination of the threat of their reinstatement.
But at the same time, the Pentagon has ordered about 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to begin moving to the Middle East, the New York Times reported, citing defense officials.
A major Thai oil company announced on Wednesday that one of its ships had managed to safely pass through the strait this week, without paying a fee, after coordinating with Iran.
