Iran has exempted vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from its restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, creating separate passage arrangements for four of its trading partners amid continuing tensions with the United States.
Ahmad Hayat-Moghaddam, Vice Chairman of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, disclosed the exemptions on Tuesday, saying ships from the four countries could pass through the strategic waterway without restrictions.
“We have currently exempted India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from these countries pass freely,” Hayat-Moghaddam told the Iranian Student’s News Agency, as reported by Oilprice.com.
The exemptions reflect Tehran’s effort to maintain commercial relationships with selected countries despite restrictions affecting maritime movement in the region. The Iranian lawmaker said each arrangement was based on specific considerations and agreements, rather than a single policy applied to all four countries.
He explained that India’s exemption was intended to facilitate medicine imports into Iran, while the arrangement for China was aimed at securing Beijing’s political support. Qatar, meanwhile, is not charged transit tolls on its vessels, according to the lawmaker. He also identified Iraq among the countries granted unrestricted passage but did not provide further details on the basis for its exemption.
Hayat-Moghaddam further claimed that the United States Navy does not interfere with vessels from the exempted countries. “The Americans do not interfere with them either,” he said.
The development is significant for energy markets because the Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for international oil and petroleum product shipments. However, the report did not provide details of the volume of crude oil or petroleum products currently moving through the waterway under the exemptions.
The announcement comes amid continuing US naval restrictions on Iranian ports and heightened security risks in the Gulf. Oilprice.com reported that Iran recorded a high number of attacks on commercial vessels in October, although the pace of reported incidents appeared to have slowed.
The exemptions introduce a differentiated transit arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz, allowing selected trading partners to maintain maritime access while broader tensions between Tehran and Washington remain unresolved.