A Turkish-owned ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz after Turkey secured permission from Iranian authorities, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu told Turkish media on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at a fast-breaking dinner, Uraloğlu said one of 15 Turkish-owned ships near the strait had been allowed to pass because it had used an Iranian port.
“We had 15 ships there. We obtained permission from the Iranian authorities for one of them because it had used an Iranian port, and we got it through,” the Habertürk news website quoted him as saying. He added that the remaining 14 ships were waiting and that they had no problems for now.
Reuters, citing the Turkish ministry, identified the vessel that passed as the Rozana and said Turkish-owned ships in the area had a total of 171 personnel on board. The report also said Ankara had issued its highest-level security warning for the strait while continuing contacts with Iranian officials about the other ships.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a new flashpoint since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28. The conflict has effectively shut the strait to normal traffic, leaving commercial vessels stranded and raising concerns about global energy supplies.