Chinese ships pass through Strait of Hormuz under Iran’s ‘management protocol’: Iranian media

Chinese ships began transiting the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday night under Iran’s “management protocol,” Fars News Agency said Thursday, citing an informed source.

The source said the vessels were allowed to cross the strategic waterway after they adhered to “the Iranian strait management protocol.”

It said the transiting of the Chinese ships was facilitated “based on the deep relations between the two countries and strategic partnership” and following efforts by China’s foreign minister and the Chinese ambassador to Iran.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said 30 ships have passed through the strait since Wednesday night under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

The announcement came after data from the ship tracking platform Marine Traffic showed that at least four China-linked vessels passed through the strait in the past 24 hours via Iran’s “safe” shipping corridor.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints for oil and gas shipments, has remained effectively closed to most vessels since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February, severely disrupting global energy and cargo flows.

A ceasefire took effect between the US and Iran on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.