DUBAI, May 14 (Reuters) – Iran has begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz following an understanding over Iranian management protocols for the waterway, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Thursday, citing an informed source.
The Fars report came as U.S. President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to China, agreed with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping that the Strait of Hormuz must be open for the free flow of energy.
The source told Fars news the move followed requests by China’s foreign minister and ambassador to Iran, with Tehran agreeing to facilitate the passage of a number of Chinese ships in line with the two countries’ strategic partnership.
Following the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes on 28 February, Iran severely restricted transit in the Strait of Hormuz.
A U.S. blockade on Iranian ports which started a few days after a ceasefire agreed upon in early April has prolonged the crisis in the waterway, through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas transit.
It was not immediately clear how far the move altered the situation on the ground, given Iran had already indicated during the war that neutral vessels, notably those linked to China, could transit the Strait as long as they coordinated with Iranian armed forces.
A Chinese supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, ship tracking data showed, after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the U.S.-Iran war.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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