Iran, which sealed off the Strait of Hormuz and declared a hard-line response, allowed ships from some countries to pass through the strait, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on the 12th (local time).
Vice Minister Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview with Agence France-Presse in Tehran that day, "Some countries have already discussed passage through the strait with us, and we have cooperated with them." This is interpreted to mean that Iran is selectively allowing passage through the strait only for ships from non-aggressor countries.
He added, "From Iran's point of view, countries that took part in the aggression should not enjoy the benefit of safely passing through the Strait of Hormuz."
He also denied claims that Iran had laid mines in the strait. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces struck 28 Iranian minelayers in the Hormuz waterway. Reuters also reported that Iran installed dozens of mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice Minister Takht-Ravanchi said Iran wants guarantees that it will never again be forced into war.
He said, "We do not want war to be forced upon Iran again," and criticized, "On June last year, so-called hostilities were halted 12 days after the war began, but after 8–9 months they regrouped and launched another attack."
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, elected as Iran's new supreme leader, said in his first official statement released on state TV that "we must continue to use the lever of sealing off the Strait of Hormuz as a means of pressuring the enemy (the United States and Israel)."