The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly approved Articles 13, 14, and 15 of the Strategic Action Plan for Securing and Sustainable Development of the Strait of Hormuz in its recent session. It was decided that Article 16 will be discussed and reviewed further in the future.
Penalties for Violating Vessels
Hassan Qashqavi, the spokesperson for the National Security Commission, noted in his explanations that according to the Commission's resolution in Article 13 of this plan, non-compliance with the regulations regarding the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will be subject to Article 5 of the Islamic Penal Code. Under this law, violating vessels will incur a penalty of 20 percent of the cargo or its value, as well as temporary detention of the vessel until the penalty is paid.
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This resolution clearly defines the obligations of violating vessels and, to ensure the precise implementation of this law, the judiciary is required to establish specialized courts composed of judges and experts in maritime law and international maritime law. These courts will handle cases related to violations in the Strait of Hormuz.
Penalties for Natural and Legal Persons
Furthermore, Qashqavi referred to the Commission's resolution in Article 14, which states that any natural or legal person who causes the improper, incomplete, or timely non-implementation of this law through action or inaction, unless subject to a more severe penalty, will be sentenced to a level 5 penalty as per Article 19 of the Islamic Penal Code ratified on April 20, 2013. This action signifies an increase in legal responsibilities for individuals and entities regarding compliance with regulations related to the Strait of Hormuz.
Note 14 also specifies that any bilateral or multilateral agreement or binding document regarding the Strait of Hormuz must be within the framework of Articles 77, 125, 176, and 57 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This point highlights the importance of adhering to domestic laws alongside international agreements.
Finally, Qashqavi stated regarding the Commission's resolution in Article 15 that, based on this article, the General Staff of the Armed Forces is required to submit a report on the implementation of this law to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly every three months. This action is intended for continuous oversight and performance evaluation in securing the Strait of Hormuz.
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