Iran claims it coordinated passage of 26 vessels out of Hormuz in 24 hours

The IRGC claims to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz despite the US blockade on Iran’s ports.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it coordinated the transit of 26 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, as talks between Washington and Tehran over the resumption of traffic through the narrow waterway remain stalled.“Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is being carried out with permission and in coordination with the IRGC Navy,” the statement carried by Iran’s state-affiliated ISNA news agency said on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Putin meets Xi: Why Russia and China need each otherlist 2 of 3US Senate advances resolution to curb Trump’s power to wage war on Iranlist 3 of 3Vance: US ‘locked and loaded’ for military action if Iran talks failend of listAbout a fifth of global energy exports used to pass through the strait before the beginning of the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="44694" data-entity-type="event">United States-Israel war on Iran on February 28, which prompted Tehran to blockade the waterway.US President Donald Trump’s administration responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports, choking Iranian oil exports – the country’s key source of revenue.The standoff has put huge strain on global energy markets as well as raising concerns over a looming humanitarian catastrophe.On Wednesday, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the blockage could trigger a severe global food price crisis within six to 12 months, calling the disruption “the beginning of a systemic agrifood shock”.The Rome-based agency said the disruption is no longer only a shipping or energy-market problem, warning that the shock is moving through global agrifood systems in stages.“The shock is unfolding in stages: energy, fertilizer, seeds, lower yields, commodity price increases, then food inflation,” the FAO said.Stalled talksOn Wednesday, Trump spoke about “progress” made in negotiations with Iran. But he also threatened to resume military action if Iran does not agree to a deal.