Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia insists Hormuz Strait is not closed, only wartime traffic protocol

Iran’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mohammad Boroujerdi, said that the public worried about the closure of the Hormuz Strait should ask the United States, which has come from afar to the Middle East and is disrupting security in the Hormuz Strait. The ambassador stressed that the Hormuz Strait remains open, and Iran is only enforcing a special traffic protocol for wartime in order to safeguard security. He also emphasised that the Strait remains passable by parties that comply with the protocol implemented by Iran during wartime. ‘The Hormuz Strait is not closed. The Hormuz Strait remains open. And we are only the party that provides security. In this strait, a special wartime traffic protocol is applied. Parties that comply with the protocol can easily pass through the Hormuz Strait,’ he said. The diplomat added that the Hormuz Strait is a place where Iran has safeguarded security for hundreds of years. Iran, he continued, safeguards the strait’s security for the security of the country as a whole, including Iran itself, while ensuring that no country may exploit the strait’s security. Located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the Hormuz Strait functions as the sole maritime route from the Persian Gulf to the open sea, reaffirming its position as one of the world’s most strategically vital points. About 20 percent of the world’s oil consumption passes through the strait. Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had closed the Hormuz Strait to vessel traffic, stating that the vital waterway for oil and gas is unsafe due to attacks by the United States and Israel. Since the strait was closed, oil prices in Asia rose by around 13 percent to $80 per barrel, with potential to reach $100 per barrel if the closure lasts longer. The closure of traffic through the Hormuz Strait has also affected two tankers owned by PT Pertamina International Shipping (PIS), which are still in the Gulf area.