Iran has begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz following an understanding ​over Iranian management protocols for the waterway, the semi-official ‌Fars News agency said on Thursday, citing an informed source.

The Fars report came as US President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit ​to China, agreed with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping ​that the Strait of Hormuz must be open for ⁠the free flow of energy.

The source told Fars News the ​move followed requests by China’s foreign minister and ambassador to ​Iran, with Tehran agreeing to facilitate the passage of a number of Chinese ships in line with the two countries’ strategic partnership.

Following the start ​of US and Israeli strikes on 28 February, Iran severely ​restricted transit in the Strait of Hormuz.

A US blockade on Iranian ports, which ‌started ⁠a few days after a ceasefire agreed upon in early April, has prolonged the crisis in the waterway, through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas transit.

It was not immediately ​clear how far ​the move ⁠altered the situation on the ground, given Iran had already indicated during the war that neutral ​vessels, notably those linked to China, could transit ​the ⁠Strait as long as they coordinated with Iranian armed forces.

A Chinese supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of ​Hormuz on Wednesday, ship tracking data ​showed, after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due ​to the US-Iran war.