Commercial vessels seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz must submit applications to Iranian authorities under the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has said.

In a statement reported by Fars News Agency, the SNSC said the requirement is being implemented under Clause 5 of the agreement, adding that vessel operators must apply via the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA.ir) system, News.Az reports.

“In implementation of Clause 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, commercial vessels requesting passage through the Strait of Hormuz must submit their application to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA.ir),” the statement said.

The council added that, under the agreement, no fees will be charged to applicants for a period of 60 days, with costs covered by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Pursuant to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, for a period of 60 days no fees will be charged to applicants, and these costs will be covered by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” it said.

According to the SNSC, authorities have been instructed to prioritise and process applications swiftly in line with the objectives of the agreement.

“Accordingly, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority has been instructed to process and respond to applications swiftly and as a priority in order to achieve the objectives of the agreement,” the statement said.

The council also said that, due to safety risks along the transit route, vessels will be required to follow designated routes and allocated timings.

“Given the special conditions and the existence of certain safety risks along the transit route, and due to the need to ensure safe passage and prevent maritime incidents, vessels must transit along the route and at the time allocated to them so that, gradually, the capacity for traffic can be increased,” it said.

Further operational details on passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be issued by the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the SNSC added, noting that additional measures, including demining, would be implemented in line with Clause 5 of the agreement.

News.Az