Iran announced on Wednesday morning that non-hostile ships may transit through the Strait of Hormuz, provided they comply with safety and security regulations.
According to a statement sent to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), ships must refrain from engaging in or supporting acts of aggression against Iran and adhere fully to the established safety and security rules.
The IMO clarified that the document, dated Sunday, was issued by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Iran requested the IMO to distribute the statement, which has been shared with member states and non-governmental organisations by the organisation.
IEA ready to release oil reserves
On Wednesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said it was ready to release oil from reserves again “whenever necessary”, according to Executive Director Fatih Birol, on the 26th day of the war in the Middle East.
Birol’s comments were in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
After meeting in Tokyo, Takaichi asked the IEA director to prepare for a further drawdown of reserves. Japan is 95 per cent dependent on oil from the Middle East and also taps into its own reserves.
Earlier this month, IEA member states, mainly Western countries, had already released 400 million barrels of crude oil from their strategic reserves. This was in response to the US-Israeli war against Iran, which sent oil prices soaring.
Birol emphasised that those 400 million barrels represent only 20 per cent of the IEA countries’ strategic reserves.
"We still have 80 per cent of our reserves," he said. "If and when necessary, we are ready (...), but I hope it will not be necessary."
Iran denies talks
Oil prices on international markets fell again on Wednesday morning, after several reports of possible peace talks between the US and Iran.
The Iranian military leadership has once again denied that negotiations are underway with the US to end the war in the Middle East.
It also criticised the US government. "Your (own) conflicts have reached such a level that you are negotiating with yourselves," stated Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters.
The response comes in the wake of comments by US President Donald Trump, who claimed that Tehran is willing to reach an agreement to end the war.
According to reports in The New York Times, Axios and Reuters, among others, the US government has presented Iran with a fifteen-point plan to that effect, but Tehran continues to deny that any talks are taking place.
