Iranian cargo vessels sail through Strait of Hormuz after naval blockade lifted

Iranian cargo vessels sailed through international waters on Monday evening, marking the first operational victory of the newly finalized memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States. The vessels, which had been stranded for months amid the illegal American blockade campaign against Iranian shipping, passed unimpeded, according to informed maritime sources speaking exclusively to Press TV.

The breakthrough came less than 24 hours after the finalized MoU, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, mandated an immediate end to the US naval blockade against Iran as part of a wider cessation of hostilities on all fronts. The secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) confirmed on Monday that Tehran and Washington have finalized the text of an MoU on ending the imposed war, bringing an immediate and permanent halt to US-Israeli hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and terminating the US naval blockade against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Monday that a meeting between the heads of delegations of the two sides is likely to take place in Switzerland on Friday, where the MoU will be signed, followed by the first round of subsequent negotiations. The US imposed its blockade on Iran in April after suffering defeat on the battlefield and failing to impose its terms during the Islamabad negotiations. Despite US warships intercepting and attacking tankers that attempted to break the blockade, Iran's crude oil continued to flow to some extent, according to observers.

The MoU finalized in the Pakistan- and Qatar-mediated talks now ensures that Iranian oil tankers and cargo vessels will be fully free to sail through both Iranian and international waters. According to Mehr News Agency, the development represents a significant shift in regional maritime dynamics.