Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We do not mine the Strait of Hormuz. “Some ships can pass through it.”
2026-03-12 18:17, updated 2026-03-12 19:02
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2026-03-12 18:17
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2026-03-12 19:02
Iran has allowed ships from some countries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told AFP on Thursday. He added that Iran does not place mines on this route and denied US President Donald Trump's words about the destruction of 28 Iranian minelayers.
“Some countries have already talked to us about transport through the Strait of Hormuz and we are cooperating with them,” Takht-Ravanchi noted. He added that “countries that have joined the aggression should not have access to safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The strait connecting the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea has been virtually blocked since February 28, when the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, which responded by announcing the closure of this route. Iran also attacks targets throughout the Middle East, including ships and oil infrastructure. According to the BBC's calculations, since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, there have been at least 13 attacks on ships attributed to Iran.
On Tuesday, reports emerged that Iran had begun mining the strait. Trump threatened that the US would destroy any mine-laying unit. On Wednesday, he added that US troops attacked 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels.
“It's not true,” Takht-Ravanchi told AFP when asked about it.
Representatives of the authorities in Tehran have already declared that ships from countries that will cut off contacts with the US and Israel will be able to pass freely through the strait. The media reported unconfirmed information that some countries, including China and India, were talking to Iran about transport through Hormuz.
Many ships can still pass through the strait if they cooperate with the Iranian Navy, a spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, quoted by Mehr Agency.
The Strait of Hormuz is crucial to global oil and gas trade. Under normal conditions, approximately 20 percent is transported through it annually. oil consumed in the world.
The war in the Middle East and the blockade of the strait caused oil prices to skyrocket. On Monday, the price of a barrel of oil exceeded $100 for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. On Tuesday, prices fell, and on Thursday they again approached $100 per barrel of Brent crude oil.
Iran's Foreign Ministry accuses the EU of “complicity” in US-Israeli attacks
“The European Union's indifference and acquiescence in the face of US and Israeli aggression, brutality and cruelty means nothing but complicity,” wrote Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagei on the X platform.
The entry was accompanied by a recording of a speech by Belgian left-wing MEP Marc Botenga, who criticized the position of some MEPs in the European Parliament.
“Most of us not only do not condemn, but even support the war of (US President Donald – PAP) Trump and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin – PAP) Netanyahu against Iran, while claiming to be in solidarity with the Iranian people,” Botenga said in the recording.
The Belgian politician also accused the United States of attacking a school in southern Iran on February 28, which killed dozens of children. “Tell the 167 victims in this school that you are making European bases available to American killing machines,” he added. Botenga referred to the decision of the Romanian and French authorities to make the bases available to the US Air Force.
In his post, a spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Botenga's statement, emphasizing that “telling the truth means being on the right side of history.”
This is not the first criticism of the EU from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During Monday's press briefing, Bagei accused member countries of “failing to oppose the abuses of the United States.” He then stated that this attitude of EU countries “emboldened” the American and Israeli sides to “continue committing crimes.”
EU countries are not taking part in the US and Israel's war with Iran, but they are divided on this issue. In a statement on Monday, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, condemned the “uncontrolled” Iranian airstrikes on Middle Eastern countries, with which Tehran is responding to US-Israeli attacks.
US military: We've hit about 6,000 so far. targets in Iran
American forces have struck approximately 6,000 people since the beginning of the military operation against Iran. targets in this country, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday. Destroyed, among others: 60 Iranian warships and 30 minelayers.
Data provided by CENTCOM shows that the attacked targets included minelaying units, as well as plants producing these charges and warehouses.
The US side is trying to prevent Tehran from mining the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that within hours US forces had destroyed 10 inactive Iranian minelaying vessels and announced the destruction of more. He stated that he had no information about Iran having mined the strait, but if any explosives had been planted, they were to be removed immediately.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. So far, approximately 2,000 people have died in American-Israeli airstrikes. people, mainly Iranians and Lebanese. In response, Tehran launches retaliatory strikes not only against Israel, but also against targets in countries in the region.
adj/ap/
