Iran Rebuffs EU Demands over Strait of Hormuz Blockade

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April 21, 2026 | 01:27 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Iranian government has mocked a call by senior EU diplomat Kaja Kallas to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and adhere to international law.

Maritime traffic ground to a halt on Sunday after Iranian warships opened fire on vessels attempting to pass through the strategic waterway.

According to Politico, Tehran reversed its previous decision to keep the Strait of Hormuz open in retaliation for a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, a move that threatened to throttle the Islamic Republic's oil exports.

Western leaders have pressured the Iranian regime to unblock the channel, which facilitates the passage of a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. The enduring closure has spiked global energy prices and clouded economic growth prospects across the European Union.

Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, posted on X that “under international law, transit through waterways like the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and free of charge.”

However, the Iranian regime has scoffed at Kallas's remarks. “Oh, that ‘international law’?! The one that the EU dusts off to lecture others while quietly green-lighting a U.S.-Israeli war of aggression — and looking the other way on atrocities against Iranians?!” Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, wrote on X.

In a sharp rebuke, Baghaei argued that “no rule of international law forbids Iran, the coastal State, from taking necessary measures to stop the Strait of Hormuz being used for waging military aggression against Iran.”

He further contended that “unconditional transit passage” through Hormuz was not possible after “U.S./Israeli aggression brought U.S. military assets into the strait’s backyar.”

Several countries signed a joint statement demanding the “unconditional, unrestricted, and immediate re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz.” This follows an international summit convened in Paris last week by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the crisis.

Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran collapsed last week, following a brief ceasefire reached earlier this month. Among the most contentious issues remains Tehran’s refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program, a top concern for both Israel and the U.S.

"Trump says Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights, but doesn’t say for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?" Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told local media outlets.

Read: Iran Rejects Second Round of Talks with the United States

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