Panama: As long as they adhere to international standards, Iranian naval ships will be permitted to transit the Panama Canal, according to Panamanian authorities, who made the announcement on Tuesday in response to reports that Tehran was sending ships to the important waterway.

An Iranian military presence in the Canal would enrage the US, which warned that it is closely observing Tehran's activity in the Western Hemisphere. The US built the channel connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Panama Canal asserted that the waterway must "remain safe and open for the peaceful transit" under the condition that ships follow international safety standards, pay tolls, and do not commit any offences, citing a 1977 international treaty that gave control of the canal to Panama and established its neutral status.

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According to the aforementioned rules, the Panama Canal Authority is required to permit the passage of any vessel that satisfies all of these criteria, the organisation said in a statement.

Local media has been informing the public of the approaching Iranian Navy ships.

Teheran intends to position its warships in the Panama Canal as it seeks to strengthen its presence in Latin America, according to a January 13 article in the newspaper La Estrella de Panama.

When Jeb Bush, a former governor of Florida, claimed on January 16 in a Washington Post column that Panama was aiding Iran in evading Western oil sanctions, he added fuel to the fire.

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Bush, the brother and son of two American presidents, wrote that the Iranian regime "would face significant obstacles in smuggling its oil and gas around the world without Panama's support." Vedant Patel, a spokesman for the US State Department, stated last week that Washington was closely monitoring Teheran's naval activities in the Western Hemisphere.

Patel told reporters, "We continue to have a number of tools in our toolbox available to hold the Iranian regime accountable. In order to protect the canal, the US opened military outposts in 1914. The 1977 agreement paved the way for Panama to receive ownership of the canal on December 31, 1999.

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According to the Panama Canal Authority, more than 14,000 vessels passed through the 80-kilometer (50-mile) waterway in 2022. 5% of all maritime trade worldwide is accounted for by the canal.