LONDON, March 19. /TASS/. Several countries, including India, Iraq, China, Malaysia and Pakistan, are in talks with the Iranian government to be granted safe passage of their vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, Lloyd's List Intelligence said in a report.
"At least nine ships have now exited the strait via the 'safe' corridor that routes ships through Iranian territorial waters via Iran’s Larak Island, which is used by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] Navy and port authority to assess visual confirmation of the vessels," the report says.
It also says that only one tanker is so far understood to have made a payment, said to be about $2 million, as part of an agreement to transit the strait.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, hitting major cities, including Tehran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite army units) retaliated with sweeping attacks on Israel. Targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were also hit. On March 2, IRGC Major General Ebrahim Jabari warned that the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil exports pass, would be closed to ships.
On March 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the strait is not closed, but ships and tankers do not cross it for fear of attacks from both sides.