Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the body responsible for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, announced on Friday that passage through the strategic waterway is not feasible now due to "continued aggressive actions" of U.S. forces in the region.
"Once stability is restored, all requests will be reviewed and permits issued progressively," the authority said in a statement.
On the same day, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had hit and stopped two oil tankers that disregarded its warnings and attempted to travel through the Strait of Hormuz via an undeclared route under the air escort of the U.S. army.
In a statement, the IRGC said it also forced four other oil tankers to turn back.
The IRGC once again warned that illegal interventions, orders and prohibitions of the U.S. army to vessels in the region will not go unanswered.
Iran says passage through Strait of Hormuz "not feasible" due to U.S. aggression
Iran says passage through Strait of Hormuz "not feasible" due to U.S. aggression
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has said that bilateral relations with China have reached their "highest level in history", following a landmark state visit to China from Monday to Wednesday.
The trips marks Pellegrini's first state visit to China as the president of Slovakia.
During the visit, Pellegrini held high-level talks with Chinese leaders, and also toured cutting-edge technological sites in Beijing, including a robot mall and the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Baidu.
In an interview with China Media Group on Wednesday, Pellegrini reflected on the profound significance of the trip and the remarkable transformations he has witnessed in the country.
"It's for me, but also for Slovakia, [a] historical visit, because it is, after 23 years, again, a visit of a [Slovak] president, a state visit to China. So it is very important for the relationships between Slovakia and China. I had the chance to visit China in 2015, 2017, once as a speaker of the parliament, once as a deputy prime minister. So I can really compare, and I see the big changes which China achieved in the last decade and how complete other country I'm now visiting than it was probably 10 years ago. And I'm really impressed," said Pellegrini.
The president also expressed deep appreciation for the warm reception and the substantive discussions held during the trip.
"And of course, this visit on the highest level, and the great meeting with Mr. President (Xi Jinping), and the topics which we were discussing, I think they prove that the relationships now between China and Slovakia are now on the highest level in our history. And I'm very happy for that, and I'm very thankful for that," said Pellegrini.
Slovak president says bilateral ties with China at "highest level in history"
