Iran says nuclear file excluded from US negotiations for now

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected a draft UN Security Council resolution calling on Iran to cease attacks, mining and tolling in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a letter to the UN secretary-general and leaders of member states Araghchi described the draft resolution as “one-sided” and said its narratives were “selective and biased.”

He said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would return to normal only if there is a permanent end to the war and the lifting of the blockade and sanctions against Iran.

Araghchi said current restrictions in the strait stem from what he described as the “aggressive, unjustified and illegal war” by the United States and Israel against Iran.

IRGC-affiliated Fars News reported that residents of Bandar Abbas heard several sounds resembling explosions near the southern Iranian port city, adding that the source and exact location remained unclear.

Local outlet Eskan News reported six explosions in Sirik in Hormozgan province, at intervals of 40 seconds from one another. Vahid Online also reported explosions heard Thursday night in Qeshm, Minab, Bandar Abbas, Bandar Khamir, and Sirik.

Iran's state TV said an explosion was heard at Bahman passenger pier on Qeshm Island in southern Iran.

"Some sources say some of the sounds were related to operations by the IRGC Navy to warn certain vessels about unauthorized passage through the Strait of Hormuz. But efforts to determine the exact and full source of the sounds are still ongoing," IRGC-affiliated Tasnim reports.

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and no oil can pass through the waterway without Tehran’s permission, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Ebrahim Rezaei said on Thursday.

“They cannot pass even one liter of oil through the Strait of Hormuz without the permission of the Islamic Republic,” Rezaei said.

“If the Americans see the slightest concession or retreat from our side, they will definitely become more emboldened,” he added.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Iran of violating international law through mining and tolling activities in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a UN media stakeout on Thursday.

“Iran’s indiscriminate mining and tolling efforts in the Strait of Hormuz are textbook violations of international law,” Waltz said.

Waltz said Iran’s newly announced Persian Gulf Straits Authority sought to make commercial vessels “check in and pay a bribe, pay a toll” to use the waterway.

He said the draft Security Council resolution calls on Iran to stop attacks on commercial shipping, remove mines, end tolling and allow humanitarian aid through the strait.

Waltz said the proposal builds on a previous UN resolution on freedom of navigation that passed without opposition and had 136 co-sponsors.

“We’ll see what the Council decides to do in the days to come,” he added.

Tehran has introduced new rules for vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported on Thursday, citing a document it reviewed, as Iran moves to formalize control over the waterway despite US warnings.

The document, titled “Vessel Information Declaration,” is an application form issued by Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) and must be completed by all vessels seeking safe passage through the strait, the report said.

CNN said the document, shared by Lloyd’s List and another anonymous shipping industry source, contains more than 40 questions requiring ships to disclose their name, identification number, any previous name, country of origin and destination.

The form also asks for the nationalities of the vessel’s registered owners, operators and crew, as well as details of the cargo on board, the report added.

According to the PGSA, the information must be emailed to the authority before vessels can transit the strait.

An email from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority cited by CNN warned that “complete and accurate information is essential” to processing transit requests and that “further instructions will be communicated via email.”

“Any incorrect or incomplete information provided will be the sole responsibility of the applicant, and any resulting consequences will be borne accordingly,” the email added.