EU Restricts Iran's Movement in the Maritime Sector

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Lukas S

JAKARTA - The European Union imposed restrictions on Iran for the first time as part of a new sanctions scheme related to the threat to freedom of navigation.

"Today will also be the first time that sanctions related to freedom of navigation have been imposed on Iran," said EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas on Monday, June 8, as reported by ANTARA from Sputnik.

Specifically, the European Council included the Hormozgan Provincial Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) on the sanctions list.

"In addition, the European Union today included the names of Mohammad Akbarzadeh and Hamid Hosseini on the sanctions list, for supporting Iran's actions that hinder legitimate transit traffic and freedom of navigation," the statement said.

Mohammad Akbarzadeh is the deputy political chief of the IRGC, who also acts as the organization's spokesman.

Meanwhile, Hamid Hosseini is a representative of the Iranian Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Association and a member of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, the EU statement said.

Previously, at the end of February, the United States and Israeli militaries jointly began launching attacks on a number of targets in the Iranian region.

Then, on April 7, the United States and Iran announced a temporary ceasefire.

However, the US still imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, while Iran announced the establishment of special transit rules through the Strait of Hormuz.

US authorities have demanded that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz to freedom of navigation and remove tariffs for crossing the waterway.

On Monday (25/5), the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu), Esmaeil Baghaei, said it was inappropriate to call the levy imposed by Iran on shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz a "toll tariff".

According to Baghaei, the collection is not a toll rate, but a fee for services provided to maintain environmental conditions in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. He stated that Iran continues to cooperate with Oman in formulating a shipping mechanism in the Strait of Hormuz.