Iran says it has docked 26 ships from Hormuz in 24 hours US-Israel War on Iran News

The IRGC says it will continue to control the Strait of Hormuz even if the US blockades Iranian ports.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has coordinated 26 ships’ passage through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, while talks between Washington and Tehran regarding the resumption of traffic in the strait are still ongoing.

“Vehicles passing through the Strait of Hormuz are being carried out with the permission and cooperation of the IRGC,” it was reported on Wednesday by the Iranian news agency ISNA.

About a fifth of the world’s energy exports passed through the river before the United States-Israel war began on February 28, prompting Tehran to close the waterway.

The administration of US President Donald Trump responded by closing Iran’s ports, blocking Iranian oil exports – the country’s main source of income.

The conflict has caused major problems in energy markets around the world and raised concerns about the impending disaster.

On Wednesday, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the blockade could lead to a major global food crisis within six to 12 months, calling the crisis “the beginning of an agrifood shock”.

The Rome-based organization said disruptions are no longer a problem for the transmission or sale of electricity, warning that shocks are spreading across the world’s food supply chain.

“These shocks are happening slowly: energy, fertilizers, crops, low yields, rising commodity prices, then rising food prices,” FAO said.

Suspension issues

On Wednesday, Trump spoke of “progress” made in negotiations with Iran. But he also threatened to resume military action if Iran does not agree to the deal.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that “the return to war will have many surprises”. The IRGC also said that if Iran is attacked again, it will escalate the conflict by extending the war “this time” beyond the region.

Will Todman, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera that the warring factions seem to believe that expanding their airspace will help them fight their rivals.

“I think it’s hard to see anything that will change that calculation, because both sides seem to believe that if this continues, their power will be greater because their opponents will suffer more economically,” Todman said on Wednesday.