NEW YORK, March 18. /TASS/. Almost 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the escalation in the Middle East in late February, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

At least 89 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz between March 1 and 15, including 16 oil tankers, according to the firm. Before the US and Israel struck Iran roughly 100 to 135 vessels passed the strait per day. More than one-fifth of the 89 vessels were believed to be Iran-affiliated, while Chinese-and Greece-linked ships were among the rest, it said.

Iran may have "effectively created a safe corridor" with some ships passing close to the Iranian coast, said Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List. This also applies to tankers carrying Iranian oil. According to estimates by the analytical company Kpler, the Islamic Republic has already managed to export over 16 mln barrels of crude since the beginning of March.

The latest passages through the Strait of Hormuz show the strait was "closed selectively against some traffic, while still functioning for Iranian exports and a narrow set of approved non-Iranian movements," said Kun Cao, client director at consulting firm Reddal.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that vessels of several countries had passed through the Strait of Hormuz with Tehran’s permission, adding that Iran has the right to take the necessary measures to ensure national security and prevent abuses by aggressors and their allies on this waterway.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that a Pakistani tanker had safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz. On March 14, the Indian NDTV channel said two Indian tankers carrying liquefied natural gas had passed through the strait.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.

On March 2, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Ibrahim Jabari warned that the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil exports pass, would be closed to vessels due to the US and Israeli military operation. On March 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the strait was not closed, but the vessels, including oil tankers, chose to avoid crossing it, fearing attacks from both sides.