Iran deputy FM: Hormuz open to 'some countries' — aggressor nations denied passage, mines claim denied

Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told AFP in Tehran on March 12 that Iran has permitted ships from some countries to transit the Strait of Hormuz while blocking others. 'Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them,' Takht-Ravanchi said. 'As far as Iran is concerned, we feel that those countries that joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.' He denied Iran is laying mines in the strait: 'Not at all. This is not true.' This directly contradicts US President Trump's claim that US forces struck 28 Iranian minelaying vessels. Takht-Ravanchi also referenced the June 2025 ceasefire: 'When the war started last June, after 12 days there was so-called cessation of hostilities… but after eight or nine months, they regrouped and they did it again.' The selective Hormuz access policy represents a strategic use of the strait as diplomatic leverage — Iran is effectively offering safe passage as a reward for neutrality.