Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said the strategically important Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial shipping, while asserting that vessels passing through the waterway must coordinate with Iranian naval forces amid rising tensions in the Gulf region.

Speaking in an interview with Iranian state media ahead of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, Araghchi accused the United States of creating instability and imposing what he described as an “illegal blockade” affecting Iranian ports and maritime activity.