Iran says Iraqi ships can pass Strait of Hormuz as transits tick up

Tehran says Iraq will face no restrictions in waterway, praising country’s ‘struggle’ against the US.Iran has announced that Iraqi ships are free to pass the Strait of Hormuz, the latest sign of Tehran easing its stranglehold on the critical conduit for global energy supplies.Iraq will be exempt from all restrictions in the strait, with controls only applying to “enemy countries”, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement on Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Car slams into Louisiana Lao New Year parade, injuring about 15 peoplelist 2 of 4Giuffre family urges UK’s King Charles to meet Epstein survivors in USlist 3 of 4Lewandowski claims late La Liga win for Barcelona at Atleticolist 4 of 4Israeli measures tighten grip on Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosqueend of list“We hold profound respect for Iraq’s national sovereignty,” the military command said in the statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.“You are a nation that bears the scars of American occupation, and your struggle against the US is worthy of praise and admiration.”Iran’s announcement came as US President Donald Trump reiterated his demands for Tehran to make a deal or relinquish control of the waterway, warning in a social media post that “all hell” would rain down within 48 hours otherwise.Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters rejected Trump’s demand, calling his threat a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action”.Iran has effectively blockaded the strait, which usually carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas supplies, since the US and Israel launched their war on the country on February 28.While maritime traffic has ticked up in recent weeks under a de facto toll booth system imposed by Tehran, it is still down more than 90 percent from normal levels, according to ship tracking data.According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, there were 53 transits through the strait last week, the most since the war began, up from 36 the previous week.