Iran wants to close the Strait of Hormuz to ships of hostile countries

Iranian lawmakers advanced a bill in parliament on Monday to assert greater control over the Strait of Hormuz, approving initial provisions that would restrict US and Israeli-linked transit, Iran International reported.

Parliament’s Internal Affairs and Councils Committee approved a provision banning the transit of assets and equipment owned by the United States, Israel and other countries Tehran considers “hostile,” committee spokesperson Valiollah Bayati said, according to ICANA. Bayati said the measure was adopted because those countries had used the strait for hostile actions and attacks against Iran.

The restriction was among the first five articles approved in the detailed review of the proposed “Strategic Action to Ensure the Sustainable Security of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.” Representatives from Iran’s Foreign Ministry, armed forces and parliament’s Research Center attended the meeting.

The legislation has not yet become law, and committee-approved provisions still require parliamentary approval. Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee is leading the review and approved the bill’s general outlines on Sunday without opposition among members present, spokesperson Hassan Ghashghavi said.

Other provisions under consideration include tighter rules for vessels linked to countries Tehran regards as hostile and charges for maritime services provided to ships using the strait, lawmaker Sodeif Badri said Sunday. Revenue from those charges would be directed toward security, monitoring and development infrastructure, according to the report.

The strait carried about one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies before the war, according to Iran International. The bill was formally submitted to parliament on July 13, and National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chairman Ebrahim Azizi said a day later that lawmakers were standing by their “red lines,” writing: “This is the first step,” and further measures would “take sleep from the eyes of our enemies.”