Iran Permits Vessels Through Strait of Hormuz on Condition of Expelling US and Israeli Ambassadors
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced a conditional offer for countries wishing to transit the Strait of Hormuz, as military conflict continues between Tehran, the United States, and Israel over the past week.
The IRGC stated in an announcement broadcast on Iran’s state television (IRIB), as reported by The Guardian and CNN on Tuesday 10 March 2026, that countries would gain unhindered access to transit the Strait of Hormuz if they expelled US and Israeli ambassadors from their territories.
“Any Arab nation or European country that expels Israeli and American ambassadors from its territory will have complete freedom and authority to transit the Strait of Hormuz starting tomorrow,” the IRGC stated in its announcement on Monday evening 9 March.
The Strait of Hormuz has been closed since the US and Israel launched large-scale air strikes against Iran on 28 February. Tehran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks against targets in Israel and Gulf nations hosting US military assets.
The attacks that followed the outbreak of war in late February have virtually halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil and other goods. The strait is a strategically important shipping lane that typically handles approximately 20 per cent of global oil trade and global liquefied natural gas export volumes. However, according to analytics firm Kpler, which operates the MarineTraffic platform, tanker traffic there has declined by 90 per cent within a week.
The ongoing conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel has driven oil prices to exceed USD 100 per barrel. This surge is attributable not only to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz but also to a slowdown in oil production in the Middle East.
Previously, US President Donald Trump issued stern warnings to Iran regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He threatened to “strike” Iran tens of times harder if the blockade of oil flows through the strategic waterway continues.
However, IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, in a statement cited by news agency Tasnim and reported by The New Indian Express, emphasised that Iranian forces would not permit oil exports from the region to US allies and Israel whilst the war continues.
He stated that any changes would occur based on the conditions of the conflict.
“The Iranian Armed Forces will not permit the export of even a single litre of oil from the region to the enemy and its allies until further notice,” Naini stressed.