Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran
The war with Iran will end "very soon," US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, citing the view that Iranians "cannot continue like this."
In press remarks, he added that “the United States currently controls the Strait of Hormuz and maintains the naval blockade led by the US Navy.”
The US NewsNation network cited an American official as saying that any temporary routes established through the Strait of Hormuz will be free of obstacles such as approvals, permits, transit fees, or any other charges. “No party controls the shipping lanes or the ability to pass through them in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Meanwhile, Ali Reza Salimi Namin, a member of the parliament's presiding board in Iran, revealed that an 11-article strategic plan to secure and sustain safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf is currently under review by the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
The proposal remains a preliminary draft under committee discussion rather than a finalized report, Namin told Iran's Fars News Agency.
Under the plan's introductory section, the government, in cooperation with the armed forces, would be obligated from the law's enactment to take measures to preserve the safety and security of maritime navigation and protect the environment in the Gulf, Namin explained. This would include providing services such as navigational guidance, inspecting shipping lanes, issuing environmental documentation, assessing whether vessels may pass or be barred from passing, and setting coordinates for ships as determined by Iran, he added.
"Vessels owned by or flying the flag of the United States government, Israel, or other hostile states or their affiliated countries would be barred entry under the plan,” adding that, also barred, would be entry and exit for states that maintain armies or warships in the Gulf, or that operate there for espionage, intelligence-gathering, or any activity Iran's armed forces determine threatens its security.
No shipment linked to Israel, whether military or civilian, and regardless of origin or destination would be permitted to pass through the strait under the plan, Namin affirmed, noting that vessels or cargo found to play a role in hostile actions against the "resistance axis," including Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Ansarallah (Houthis), and Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, would likewise be barred.
Under a separate section of the plan, the government would collect fees for guidance, oversight, administration, and security services in national currency, with implementation details left to the armed forces.
He added that states, organizations, entities, companies, or individuals found to have caused damage to Iran would be required to provide compensation and would not be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf until compensation is paid. “Iran would also be required to provide storage services in cooperation with the private sector,” while states that have imposed sanctions on Iran or frozen Iranian assets would be barred from passing through the strait.
Heavy penalties are under consideration for violators of the law's provisions, Namin stated, including statutory sanctions in addition to substantial financial fines of up to 20 percent of a shipment's value, along with penalties for vessel violations.