France and Italy opened a communication channel with Iran on Hürmuz
France and Italy have begun contacts with Iran in order to obtain guarantees for the safe passage of European ships through the Strait of Hormuz and to restart energy shipments from the Gulf.
It is reported that the talks are still in the preliminary stage and there is no guarantee of success.
According to the Financial Times (FT) based on sources close to the talks, three officials familiar with the negotiations said that several European capitals were opening channels with Tehran in order to ensure the resumption of oil and gas exports without expanding the conflict in the region.
Two of these officials stated that France was among the countries participating in the talks, while another said that Italy was trying to start talks with Tehran about the security of the Bosphorus crossing.
Yesterday, Iran's new leader, Mujtaba Khamenei, in his speech to the state media, argued that traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass, should continue to be blocked.