Paris, April 13 (QNA) - Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez, said Monday that no country has the right to close the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.

During a press conference, Dominguez added, "Under international law, no country has the right to prohibit the right of safe passage or freedom of navigation through international straits used for international transit."

The Secretary-General downplayed the potential impact of the US blockade on maritime traffic, given the "very small number of ships that are able to transit" the strait. He asserted that "an additional blockade will not significantly worsen the situation," adding that "de-escalation is what will allow us to contain the crisis and restore maritime traffic to its previous state."

He noted that imposing transit fees through the Strait of Hormuz is "contrary to international maritime law and customary law," stressing that states should "never engage in this course of action, as it would set a dangerous precedent."

The head of the UN agency's remarks come as the United States announced it had begun a blockade of Iranian ports following the collapse of negotiations with Iran in Islamabad.

Before the outbreak of war in the Middle East with the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. As a result of the war, traffic in the vital waterway has decreased by 90 percent, according to the maritime data firm Lloyds List Intelligence.(QNA)