In recent days, "many, many ships" have apparently passed through the Strait of Hormuz. It is not yet known under what conditions Iran let them through. Only one thing is clear: a solution to the conflict with the United States is not in sight.
There are clearly gaps in the Strait of Hormuz: in recent days, many ships have passed through there. Iranian state television reported that 30 vessels have crossed the strait since Wednesday evening. It is not known whether this was done for a fee. Japan, which is one of the countries that benefited, denies this, German public broadcaster ARD reported.
"And then we will guarantee that every ship can pass safely"
More and more ships can use the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India. "In recent days, many, many ships - with the support of our naval forces - have passed through the strait. And this will continue to be the case. The offensive war must be completely stopped. And then we will guarantee that every ship can pass safely", the minister also said, quoted by ARD.
Iran has once again asserted its claim to independent control of the strait, both now and in the future. And this is another controversial issue in the conflict with the United States, ARD noted. Initially, it was only about the Iranian nuclear program, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News. But now the stakes are higher: "In response, Iran decided to seize an international strait, declare it its property and demand fees. We will not allow that". As a result, the US government imposed its own blockade - and against Iran, ARD recalls.
According to Araghchi, a solution can only be found through diplomacy. At the same time, however, Iran has already postponed its responses to American proposals several times and even failed the negotiations prepared with the mediation of Pakistan. The blame for this lies solely with the US, Araghchi claims. "The biggest problem is the contradictory messages we get from the Americans - through their comments, interviews, etc."
How Iran presents itself as a victim
While Iran claims to be simply defending itself against a war imposed on it, not a word is said about Tehran's missile attacks on Israel, nor about the prolonged war the regime is waging through Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. Instead, Tehran and its allies are painting a picture in which everyone is against Iran - the US, Israel, the Gulf states.
As evidence of this, channels close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have spread on the Internet a speech by US Senator Joni Ernst, in which she says, among other things, that the US has received support from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Will there be new attacks soon?
Meanwhile, media and analysts are already speculating about possible new attacks. Before his visit to China, US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran with bombings. According to Brad Cooper, head of the US military command for the Middle East, Iran has almost no way to defend itself - or at least not for a long time.
"Today, Iran can no longer attack on the same scale, and since 90 percent of its defense industry has been destroyed, Iran will not be able to restore its weapons for years," says Cooper.
Therefore, the US and Israel could deal serious blows to Iran, at least in the long term. According to US media, citing a report by the secret services, Iran has currently fired only about 30 percent of its stockpile. So in the short term, the problem with the Strait of Hormuz is unlikely to be solved, ARD concludes.