Bangladesh Scores Rare Passage Through Iran’s Hormuz Blockade
Amid escalating US-Israel-Iran conflict that has shut the Strait of Hormuz to most global shipping since early March 2026, Iran has granted Bangladeshi oil and LNG tankers safe transit.
The deal requires advance notification to Iranian authorities before vessels enter the strategic chokepoint. It follows direct talks between Bangladesh’s Energy Adviser Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Iran’s ambassador in Dhaka, Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi.
The exception comes as Iran restricts traffic tied to the US and Israel, while the strait closure has spiked oil prices, halted routine transits, and forced many nations into energy rationing or scramble for alternatives.
Bangladesh, heavily reliant on imported fuel, secured the waiver to keep supplies flowing—one shipment of 27,000 tonnes of diesel already reached Chattogram port, with four more vessels en route.
Social media buzzes with gratitude from Bangladeshis toward Iran, with many framing it as a sign of growing brotherhood between the two nations in a polarized region.
Meanwhile, selective access highlights how Tehran is now deciding who gets through in the world’s most vital oil artery.
A lifeline for Dhaka in a global energy storm.