Tehran, Nov. 4 -- Iran has allowed ships from India, China, Iraq and Qatar to transit the Strait of Hormuz without being subject to its wider shipping restrictions, according to a senior Iranian lawmaker.

Anadolu Agency reported the development, citing the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), which quoted Amir Hayat Moqaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, on Tuesday, November 3.

"We have currently exempted India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from these countries pass freely, and the Americans do not intercept them either," Moqaddam said.

Explaining Tehran's decision, he said the arrangements were intended to serve Iran's int...