Iran has issued special permits to several Iraqi oil tankers, allowing them to transit the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz—a move reported today by the official Iranian news agency IRNA. The decision comes amid heightened regional tensions following the outbreak of war in the Middle East, which escalated after an Israeli-U.S. military strike at the end of February.
Shift in Control and Strategic Implications
Following that strike, Iran assumed de facto control over the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil passes. In response, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports—a measure described by IRNA as one of the ‘most severe military actions’ taken against Tehran.
Despite this pressure, Iran has permitted Iraqi tankers to use the strait over the past six months. According to IRNA, Baghdad repeatedly requested such authorization, citing the Strait’s irreplaceable role in its hydrocarbon exports. ‘The experience of the past six months has shown that Iraq had no alternative route for exporting the majority of its crude oil,’ the agency stated.
Economic Dependence and Changing Rules
Prior to the conflict, Iraq—whose oil sales account for nearly 90% of its national revenue—relied almost entirely on the Strait of Hormuz for petroleum exports. Now, Tehran has signaled that conditions in the waterway will not return to pre-war norms. Iranian authorities have indicated their intent to impose transit fees on commercial vessels using the strait—a significant departure from longstanding international maritime practice.
Iran and Oman—the two countries whose coastlines flank the southern entrance to the strait—are currently engaged in bilateral talks aimed at establishing a new transit corridor within the passage. However, Tehran maintains that even a successful agreement between the two nations would not be sufficient to fully reopen the strait unless the United States meets a series of Iranian demands.