TEHRAN: On Saturday (16th May, 2026) 78th day of War, Iran stated that it would not allow enemy military equipment to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to details the 1st Vice President of Iran, Mohammad Reza Aref, while speaking to Al-Jazeera, held: “We had given up our right of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and we previously allowed the passage of military equipment that was intended to be used against us through … We will not permit that again.”
According to the state TV of Iran: “Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries, notably China, Japan and Pakistan, we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guard’s navy.”
Iran maintained that only commercial vessels and entities cooperating with Iran would be able to transit after paying fees. A mechanism to manage traffic along a designated route will be in place.
It may be recalled that on 9th May, 2026 the Porte Parole of the military of Iran Ebrahim Zolfaghari proclaimed by means of X that they would impose fees on internet cables. According to details Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon etc will have to pay fee to Iran government in order to operate. Similarly companies managing submarine cables in the Hormuz area too would be required to pay licensing fees. The maintenance of the under-sea cables will solely be done by Iranian companies.
Nuclear Program of Iran: On the 78th day of Iran-US war, stalemate over Tehran’s nuclear program persisted. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while speaking during a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) Foreign Ministers’ huddle, claimed that his govt had received a message from Trump apropos openness to fresh parleys.
Dustbin of History: “Told BRICS FMs summit: Iran’s resistance against U.S. bullying is not an unfamiliar battle. So many of us encounter slight variations of same repugnant coercion. High time for us to jointly step up and work towards making clear that those practices belong in dustbin of history,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated.
Newspakistan.tv
