Iran has announced a new condition for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz - payment will have to be in Iranian rials. Not in dollars. Not in euros. In a currency whose stability even Iranians themselves reassess every month.

The information was published by MP Ebrahim Azizi, who also mentioned "comprehensive restrictions for vessels with an Israeli connection". That is a standard Iranian formula: no ship linked to Israel will be allowed through - by ownership, by insurer, or by origin.

At the same time the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met with Sergey Lavrov and Vladimir Putin in Moscow. "Recent events have shown the depth and the strength of our strategic partnership," Araghchi said. Lavrov responded with a dry "Moscow and Tehran know their path".

Reza Talai-Nik, spokesperson for the Iranian defence ministry, went further: "The US will, in the end, have to give up its illegal and unreasonable demands." And added what the West wants to avoid hearing - that Iran "has the capacity to share defence technology with Asian partners". A sentence which translates to one thing: we are thinking about nuclear-grade transfers to China or North Korea, if we need to.

The UN reaction was predictable. Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador, said Iran "has legitimate rights" to control passage through the strait. For anyone writing this down for their own use - that means Moscow will no longer vote against an Iranian blockade in the Security Council.

For the Balkans this is a signal. Energy markets are slowly moving into a regime where the rules are written not by those with the largest navy, but by those with the keys to the narrowest straits. Hormuz, the Bosphorus, Suez - three points that keep the world breathing. And all three are under the control of countries that are not EU members.