Iran exempts ships from four nations from Strait of Hormuz restrictions

Iran has exempted ships from India, China, Iraq, and Qatar from its transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera, NDTV, Asia News Network, IranWire, WION, and OilPrice.com reported. Amir Hayat Moqaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Iranian Students' News Agency that ships from these four countries pass freely without American interception. [1][2][8][9][10][11]

Al Jazeera reported that Iran effectively shut down the strait early in the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which started on February 28, 2026. The United States subsequently reimposed a naval blockade on the southern ports of Iran in July. The Bangladesh Today also reported that two tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the strait. [1][7][12]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Iran had previously stated that security could be restored to the Strait of Hormuz if the United States met its demands. Indirect talks involving Qatari mediators in Doha had aimed to secure the release of over 6 billion dollars in Iranian assets to reopen the shipping route. [15][16]

In related developments, Reuters and TradingView reported that China's third-quarter emissions recorded their largest drop since the pandemic as the Hormuz crisis restricted fossil fuel usage. Meanwhile, the Economist Intelligence Unit noted that while relations between China and India have improved, strategic rivalry between the two nations remains. [3][4][5][6]