00:00as war reparations. All other ships, he said, would require prior permission from Iranian
00:06authorities before entering the channel. Shipping traffic will not return to what
00:11it was before the war, he warned, indicating a shift from temporary disruption to structured
00:17regulation. The announcement comes as the U.S. raises its own red flags. In a formal alert,
00:24the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control cautioned shipping firms that paying Iran for safe
00:31passage could expose them to sanctions. The notice stated that U.S. persons are broadly prohibited
00:38from making payments to Iranian government entities, while non-U.S. firms could also face
00:43penalties if such payments cause American insurers, banks, or service providers to violate sanctions
00:50rules. OFAC said these payments could take many forms, including cash, digital assets,
00:57informal swaps, or in-kind transfers. Iran, meanwhile, insists it has already begun collecting
01:04tolls from some vessels seeking safe transit. Haji Babai claimed the first such revenues had been
01:11deposited into the country's central bank, though no evidence or figures were provided,
01:16and the claim has not been independently verified. Tehran has also accused the U.S. of piracy for
01:23intercepting ships under a naval blockade that Washington imposed on Iranian ports in mid-April.
01:30U.S. Central Command said dozens of commercial ships have been turned back since the blockade began,
01:37dramatically reducing traffic through a strait that normally sees thousands of transits each month.
01:43The waterway's disruption is already being felt beyond energy markets. The U.N. Refugee Agency has warned
01:51that rerouting aid shipments around Africa is doubling delivery times and sharply raising costs
01:57for humanitarian missions to conflict zones such as Sudan. This maritime standoff unfolds amid a fragile
02:06cease-file between the U.S. and Iran that began on April 8th, followed by indirect talks through
02:12regional mediators. Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran recently sent a proposal aimed at ending
02:20the war, but U.S. President Donald Trump responded coolly, saying he was unconvinced by the offer and describing
02:28Iran's leadership as disjointed. At stake is more than diplomacy. Control of the Strait of Hormuz now appears to be
02:37a central
02:37lever in Tehran's post-war strategy, one that could redefine global shipping routes, energy markets, and the
02:45balance of power in the Gulf for months, if not years, to come.
02:51Beijing has sent a clear message ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned visit to China. If the Strait
02:59of Hormuz
03:00is still in crisis by the time Air Force One lands in Beijing, it will be on top of the
03:06agenda.
03:07Speaking to reporters in New York, China's permanent representative to the U.N., Fu Kang, stressed that while the
03:15China-U.S. relationship goes far beyond the current crisis, the continued closure of the world's most vital energy
03:23choke point has become an unavoidable priority. Trump is scheduled to meet President Xi Jinping on May 14, 15,
03:32for a historic summit that was previously delayed by the outbreak of hostilities on February 28.
03:39As the world's largest oil importer, with nearly 40 percent of its crude passing through the Strait,
03:46China views the restoration of navigation as a matter of urgent national and global interest.
03:53The responsibility for reopening the Strait lies with both sides, Fu stated, calling for a synchronized de-escalation
04:01where Iran lifts its restrictions and the United States terminates its retaliatory naval blockade.
04:08He expressed particular alarm over recent rhetoric from Washington, suggesting the current ceasefire is merely
04:15temporary, urging the international community to speak out against a resumption of kinetic operations.
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