Europe Explained

The war between Iran and the United States and Israel began on 28 February. Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz early in the war, and in July the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports. A blockade is when ships are stopped from entering or leaving.

On Friday night two projectiles hit Iran’s Qeshm island, the latest of a series of air strikes aimed at Iranian air defences and launchers. President Trump called them “minor strikes”. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said at least 11 ships were attacked in and around the strait in the week to 6 November, and three of them sank.

Traffic through the strait is far below normal: its weekly report counted 170 outbound and 155 inbound transits, about 65 percent below pre-conflict levels. Iran’s navy said a tanker caught fire in the eastern strait after hitting a mine, while Washington says the mines have been cleared.

Diplomats are still trying. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he spoke with 12 foreign ministers in 48 hours, including those of Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and restated Tehran’s seven demands to reopen the strait. Qatar’s prime minister said the two sides should not wait for a “perfect moment” to reach a deal. Trump said “we’ve made a lot of progress” and that he was “in no rush” to decide on resuming strikes. Mediators have so far made limited gains.

Iran has also said some countries’ ships may pass. Amir Hayat Moqaddam, a senior member of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee, said ships from India, China, Iraq and Qatar can cross the strait, with Indian and Chinese ships paying transit fees and Qatari ships passing free. Exemptions do not guarantee safety: on 30 October the Qatari gas carrier Al Mayeda was struck by unidentified objects, and more than 120 commercial ships have been hit in the region since the war began.

Captain Ajay Pant, an Indian merchant navy officer with 18 years at sea, was arrested in the UK after British forces seized the crude oil tanker MT Smyrtos in the English Channel. The ship is under Western sanctions for allegedly being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”.

The Smyrtos left Paradip Port in India on 25 April carrying Russian oil. On 14 June Royal Marines Commandos intercepted it in international waters. Captain Pant faces charges of breaching UK sanctions on Russia. Bail was denied and a trial is upcoming. He has not been sentenced, but faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The case raises a legal question. The UK says a stateless vessel can be subject to its domestic Policing and Crime Act. Whether states can enforce sanctions in international waters is contested.

Pant’s wife, Ritu, is campaigning for his release. Other European countries have seized sanctioned ships but released the sailors, often with fines.

On Saturday 7 November, protesters marched across France for the fourth weekend in a row. Student unions said about 250,000 people took part, including roughly 75,000 in Paris. The Interior Ministry put the national figure at about 146,000.

The marchers are angry about the cost of living, meaning the price of everyday needs. They point to rising fuel prices, worse conditions in schools, teacher shortages, unaffordable housing and strained public services.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez deployed 70,000 police and security forces, and by 6pm police had arrested 232 people.

The movement is building. Thursday’s strike drew 575,000 people according to the Interior Ministry, while unions claimed close to 1.6 million. Student and teacher groups have now called another strike for Tuesday 10 November.