A senior Iranian lawmaker has told the BBC that Iran will never relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes), calling it an "inalienable right" and announcing plans to enshrine the country's authority over the passage into law. Ebrahim Azizi, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander who chairs parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the IRGC navy will determine which vessels may pass and along which routes, with toll payments required. The declaration deepens a standoff with the United States and Gulf neighbours — the UAE has called Iran's posture "hostile piracy" — and signals that Tehran intends to use the strait as long-term strategic leverage rather than a temporary bargaining chip in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.