JAKARTA - The Iranian Supreme Leader's envoy said Tehran was strictly controlling the Strait of Hormuz because the war with the United States and Israel had not ended.
"Because the war is not over, Iran has strong control over it, but I believe that after the strait war it will be opened, and countries will benefit from it," Abdul Majid Hakim Elahi told TASS, as quoted (10/4).
"Iran does not want to create a conflict, a crisis, for the world because of the Strait of Hormuz. We want to have good relations, and more than that, friendship, with all countries," Elahi said.
Separately, Fox News reported that nearly 3,200 vessels, including 800 tankers and cargo ships, had piled up near the Strait of Hormuz, waiting for a safe passage.
Nearly 20,000 sailors in the Persian Gulf region are currently waiting for clarification regarding safe transit through the strait.
It is known that the Iranian authorities have decided to close the Strait of Hormuz for ships associated with the US, Israel, and countries that support aggression against the State of the Mullahs.
Several tankers have been attacked during the conflict for passing through the strait without Iranian permission.
The US-Israel launched an attack on the capital Tehran and several other cities in Iran on February 28 which developed into an open conflict, killing more than 1,340 people, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran responded by launching attacks on Israel and a number of US-related facilities in the Middle East, before easing up with the announcement of a two-week ceasefire this week.
US and Iranian delegations are scheduled to meet and hold direct negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday or Saturday.
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the matter told TASS that talks between the US and Iran would begin on Saturday and are expected to last several days.
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