1. Iran briefly allowed several Chinese-owned cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz late Saturday, creating a short-lived opening after some South Korean and Saudi-linked tankers defied Tehran’s closure order and pushed through on routes closer to Oman [para. 1]. The passage indicated that the strait could reopen intermittently, even as Iran’s military had earlier stated the waterway remained closed and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would not issue passage permits [para. 2]. By Saturday night, Iran had cleared four Chinese-owned cargo ships and two Greek-owned cargo ships to transit [para. 2]. The Chinese vessels were the salvage crane ship Chuangli, the heavy-lift carrier Jin Xuxiang 88, and the general cargo ships Qilinzuo and Zhesan [para. 3].
2. Prior to this, during earlier windows on June 18 and June 20, the last four China Cosco Shipping tankers stranded in the Persian Gulf managed to exit the Strait of Hormuz [para. 4]. These were the 110,000-ton tankers Tonglinwan and Nanlinwan, the 75,000-ton tanker Haitunzuo, and the 45,000-ton tanker Yechi [para. 4]. After more than four months of diplomatic efforts, more than a dozen Cosco tankers trapped before the war have now all made it out [para. 4].
3. The reopening commenced on June 18 when the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding electronically, after which Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and ships applying over the next 60 days would be exempt from related fees [para. 5]. On June 19, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority issued rules requiring transit applications to be submitted at least 48 hours in advance, and stated that costs for security protection, environmental services, and Iran-related vessel insurance would be covered by the Iranian government during the 60-day period [para. 6]. Ships had to follow Iran-designated routes and transit times due to mines in the area [para. 6].
4. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz surged on June 18 and June 19, with 36 ships totaling more than 2.58 million deadweight tons transiting, the highest level since mid-April [para. 7]. Most were Iranian-flagged or Iran-linked vessels, but also included two Cosco tankers (Tonglinwan and Yechi), the Japanese-operated VLCC TENZAN, and the German-operated container ship Peace Goddess [para. 7]. On June 20, effectively the first day of reopening, vessel traffic reached 37 ships (2.7 million deadweight tons), a postwar high [para. 8]. Cosco’s Nanlinwan and Haitunzuo exited, along with the Chinese government-operated deck barge Debo and Chinese-owned bulk carriers including Glory Tom and Oriental Alliance [para. 8]. Indian, South Korean, and Emirati tankers also exited smoothly [para. 8]. Chinese and Indian shipowners chose Iran’s designated shipping lanes near Iranian waters, while South Korean and Emirati tankers took southern channels closer to Oman [para. 9].
5. However, on the evening of June 20 local time, Iran abruptly announced the Strait of Hormuz was closed, citing what it said was the U.S. failure to fulfill the memorandum and Israel’s violation of a cease-fire agreement [para. 10]. Some ships turned back, such as the Indian bulk carrier JAG ARNAV and container ship Vishva Manila [para. 11]. Other vessels ignored the warning: the large container ship MSC Qingdao forced its way through after closure using the southern channel, followed by two Sinokor VLCCs [para. 12]. A Chinese crew member reported chaotic radio calls from the IRGC ordering vessels to stop and return, with Indian crew cursing and Korean crew proceeding unmoved [para. 13]. After closure, international traffic fell sharply; on June 21 only 14 ships (940,000 deadweight tons) transited, down 65% from the previous day [para. 14]. Even so, three Saudi Bahri tankers shut off their AIS signals and sneaked out early on June 21 via the southern channel near Oman [para. 15]. Only on the night of June 21 local time did Iran allow the four Chinese-owned cargo ships and two Greek-owned cargo ships to pass; the Greek ships belonged to shipowners with close ties to Iran [para. 16].
6. A shipowner with Iranian contacts told Caixin that Iran’s decision to let Chinese-owned vessels pass could be part of its negotiations with the U.S., because Iran needs diplomatic help from China, and previous large-scale releases of ships have shown signs of being diplomatic bargaining chips [para. 17]. U.S. and Iranian delegations began talks on June 21 at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, the first round since signing the memorandum of understanding [para. 18].
AI generated, for reference only
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