00:00Ship owners also rushing to understand the fine print of that U.S.-Iran ceasefire that could temporarily unblock the Strait
00:07of Hormuz,
00:08but that would at least be in theory and perhaps provide an exit window for hundreds of vessels trapped in
00:14the Persian Gulf.
00:15Joining us now is Jennifer Parker, a young professor at the University of Western Australia's Defense and Security Institute.
00:22She previously served as a naval officer with experience in the Middle East.
00:26Jennifer, really good to have you with us.
00:27Of course, we're seeing conflicting rhetoric.
00:30We're still seeing some countries in the region under missile attacks.
00:35What is your understanding of what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz and how long does it take for these
00:39vessels to actually feel safe to navigate the Strait?
00:43Well, thanks. Thanks for having me on.
00:45Look, I think when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, we've really not seen any movement since the ceasefire
00:50announced.
00:50And that's not surprising.
00:52So there's been a lot of focus on whether the Strait is open or closed.
00:56That's really the wrong way to look at it.
00:58The Strait was never blockaded.
01:00It was never closed.
01:01But what's happened is Iran has attacked about 29 vessels during the course of this conflict, civilian merchant shipping, which
01:08has deterred ships from wanting to transit through.
01:11Now, just because the ceasefire has been announced does not mean that ships feel safe to transit through.
01:17And so there needs to be a long phase of reassurance of making ships feel safe to go through.
01:23Now, what's probably complicated that further is the fact that it seems to be unclear what the exact terms of
01:29the ceasefire are when they apply to the Strait of Hormuz.
01:32The US has said that the Strait is open and it should be unimpeded travel.
01:36Well, Iran has said that ships can go through with the permission of the Iranian armed forces and certain technical
01:44limitations need to be applied.
01:46And there is some evidence of Iranian Revolution Guard Navy in the Strait in the last 12 hours telling ships
01:53that they can't go through without approval.
01:54So that's not going to do much to reassure shipping that it's safe to go through.
01:58So until there is clarity on what the requirements are to transit that straight and shipping feels safe, you're not
02:05going to see significant numbers going through.
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