By Victoria Waldersee and Jonathan Saul
MADRID, March 26 (Reuters) – The Iranian embassy in Spain said on Thursday that Iran would be receptive to any request from Madrid related to the Strait of Hormuz because Spain respects international law, in what is the first such concession offered to an EU state.
Spain has a relatively small merchant fleet but was among the first countries to condemn the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, denouncing the war as reckless and illegal.
“BREAKING NEWS: Iran considers Spain a country committed to international law, so it shows receptiveness to any request coming from Madrid.#StraitofHormuz,” the Iranian embassy said in a post on X.
The post follows a note seen by Reuters on Tuesday to the United Nations from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that “non-hostile vessels” could transit the strait if they coordinated with Iranian authorities.
OIL SUPPLY DISRUPTION
The war against Iran has all but halted shipments of about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas through the strait, causing oil supply disruption.
A Thai oil tanker has safely sailed through the strait following diplomatic coordination between Thailand and Iran, and Malaysia’s prime minister said on Thursday Malaysian vessels were also being allowed to pass through, in a sign that restrictions were loosening for some countries following diplomatic negotiations.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that Iran let 10 oil tankers transit the strait as a goodwill gesture in negotiations, including some Pakistan-flagged vessels.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Thursday he did not understand what Iran was referring to in its post on X. He said Spain had consistently voted in favour of sanctions against Iran, including naming the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.
“What we ask of Iran and all of those participating and promoting the war is de-escalation, diplomacy and negotiation, and that Iran ceases its unjustified attacks against all the countries in the Middle East,” Albares said during a visit to Algeria.
SIZE OF SPANISH FLEET
Last year, the Spanish-flagged merchant shipping fleet reached its lowest level in two decades.
Spain had 91 vessels, of which six were oil tankers and 13 were gas carriers, as of June 2025, according to the latest report published by the Spanish Shipowners’ Association. The majority of the 205 merchant vessels controlled by Spanish shipowners fly foreign flags.
Ten of the Spanish-flagged tankers were on voyages, mainly around the Mediterranean and Europe with none inside the Gulf, ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform showed on Thursday.
Only three of them would meet the vetting standards of oil majors, which usually stipulate they must be less than 15 years old, according to Reuters analysis of shipping data.
The Iranian embassy was not immediately available to provide further details.
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Additional reporting by Corina Rodriguez and Jonathan Saul in London, Writing by Emma Pinedo and Charlie Devereux; Editing by Aislinn Laing and Alison Williams)
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