Hawzah News Agency- Iran has sharply criticized the European Union over remarks on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Brussels of hypocrisy and rejecting its interpretation of international law amid escalating regional tensions involving the United States and the Israeli occupation.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei strongly rejected comments by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on maritime navigation rights, describing the EU’s use of international law as “the height of hypocrisy''.
In a post on X, Baghaei questioned the European position, accusing the bloc of remaining silent on US-Israeli actions while simultaneously lecturing others on legal norms.
He urged European officials to “spare their sermons,” arguing that Europe’s failure to apply its stated principles has turned its discourse on international law into hypocrisy.
Baghaei also stressed that, under international law, Iran, as a coastal state, has the right to take necessary measures to prevent the Strait of Hormuz from being used for military aggression against it.
He said the notion of unconditional transit rights through the strategic waterway had effectively collapsed, arguing that US and Israeli military presence in the region had transformed the area into a direct security threat.
Iran has increasingly promoted what it describes as a “new maritime order” in the Strait of Hormuz in response to continued US and Israeli pressure in the region.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control, adding that Tehran responded firmly to US actions it described as violations of ceasefire understandings.
Iran’s military announced that the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous operational status, placing it under “strict management and control” by the country’s armed forces, following repeated violations of prior understandings by the United States.
In a statement, the spokesperson of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Iran had earlier agreed, in good faith and within the framework of negotiations, to allow the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.
However, the spokesperson stated, the United States had failed to uphold its commitments, amid Washington's continued acts of “piracy and maritime robbery” under the guise of a naval blockade.
The statement added that, in response, Iran has reinstated full control measures over the strait, emphasizing that the passage of vessels will remain tightly regulated unless the US fully lifts restrictions on Iranian shipping routes, both inbound and outbound.
Separately, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the National Security Commission of the Iranian parliament, outlined a new framework governing maritime transit in the strait.
“It is time to submit to the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz; this regime is determined by the Islamic Republic of Iran, not by virtual posts'', Azizi wrote in a post on X.
“In this regime, only commercial ships, and only with permission from the Armed Forces General Staff, particularly the Navy, are allowed to pass through designated routes after paying the rightful dues of the Iranian nation''.
He added that any US interference with Iranian vessels could prompt further escalation in restrictions.
“If the Americans want to create the slightest interference for Iranian ships, this decision can easily be changed!” Azizi said.
Source: Al Mayadeen
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