TEHRAN, March 30– Iran’s parliament has kicked off a process to approve a plan to exercise smart management over the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday.
Abbas Goudarzi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s presiding board, said the new plan has been added to the legislature’s agenda after gathering over 250 signatures from the members of parliament (MPs). Parliament has 290 seats in total.
He said the plan aims to enhance the waterway’s security and collect tolls from vessels in the local currency, the rial.
On Sunday, senior MP Alireza Salimi said the double-urgency plan has four main objectives: ensuring shipping security, charging environmental polluters, collecting fees for guidance services, and establishing a regional development fund.
The development came with Iran’s tight control over the Strait of Hormuz, where it has, since late last month, barred passage for vessels linked to Israel, the United States and their allies.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East. (Xinhua / Namibia Daily News)
