In a post on his X account on Sunday, Baqaei dismissed Kallas’s assertions about the need for “free and open” transit through the Strait of Hormuz, criticizing the EU’s selective invocation of international law.
He also argued that no legal principle prevents Iran, as a coastal state, from taking necessary measures to counter military aggression involving US and Israeli forces near the strategic waterway.
“Oh, that 'international law'?! The one that the EU dusts off to lecture others while quietly green-lighting a US-Israeli war of aggression—and looking the other way on atrocities against Iranians?!” Baqaei said.
“Spare the sermons; Europe’s chronic failure to practice what it preaches has turned its 'international law' talk into peak hypocrisy,” the Iranian spokesman added.
“No rule of international law forbids Iran, the coastal State, from taking necessary measures to stop the Strait of Hormuz being used for waging military aggression against Iran,” he underlined.
“And 'unconditional transit passage' in Hormuz? That fiction sailed the moment US/Israeli aggression brought US military assets into the strait’s backyard,” Baqaei stated.
His comments came after Kallas claimed in a post on her X account that “under international law, transit through waterways like the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and free of charge.”
“Any pay-for-passage scheme will set a dangerous precedent for global maritime routes. Iran has to abandon any plan to levy transit fees,” she said.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital energy chokepoints, has been effectively closed to normal commercial transit following the escalation of a US-Israeli war against Iran. Iranian authorities have argued that heightened military activity and the presence of foreign forces in and around the waterway have transformed it into a zone of confrontation, prompting Tehran to impose restrictions aimed at safeguarding its national security and preventing the route from being used for hostile operations.
The disruption has raised global concerns over energy supplies and maritime security, as a significant portion of the world’s oil and gas exports traditionally passes through the narrow strait.