Iran ‘does not forget its friends’ as Malaysia ships pass Hormuz amid selective access

Tehran’s decision to let Malaysia-linked vessels through the Strait of Hormuz highlighted Iran’s growing use of access to the strategic waterway as leverage, analysts said, with only a limited number of ships now able to pass and access increasingly determined by political ties rather than treated as a neutral commercial right.For Malaysia, the move drew attention not only to Tehran’s close ties with Putrajaya but also to scrutiny surrounding sanction-sensitive oil trade and ship-to-ship transfers in its waters.At least one Malaysia-linked tanker bound for Johor resumed its journey on Sunday after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim raised the issue directly with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, helping secure clearance for seven vessels stranded in or near the strait.Iran’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur made the political messaging explicit, saying in a social media post that the Islamic Republic “does not forget its friends” after the first Malaysian-bound vessel passed through the strait, a conduit for about 20 per cent of the world’s oil, where traffic has been severely restricted since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran.Analysts said Iran appeared to be moving towards a more selective access model in the strait, using passage as a form of leverage.