Iran and Oman Draft Protocol to Monitor Strait of Hormuz
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a senior official stated on Thursday.
“We are preparing a protocol for Iran and Oman to oversee transit in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, in a statement quoted by Iran’s IRNA news agency.
He noted that ship movements during peacetime have so far been conducted and coordinated by Iran and Oman as the two coastal states.
“These provisions do not mean restrictions, but rather aim to facilitate and guarantee the safety of navigation and provide better services to ships,” he added.
Shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil and gas distribution, have experienced a sharp decline following the war between the United States (US) and Israel against Iran, prompting several countries to consider alternative sea and land routes.
Around 20 million barrels of oil pass through the strait each day, and the potential closure has triggered rises in oil prices as well as shipping and insurance costs, raising global economic concerns.
Gharibabadi emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz “remains open and traffic is proceeding smoothly.”
“When we face aggression, movements will experience serious disruptions,” he said. “Currently, we are in a state of war, and wartime conditions cannot be regulated by peacetime rules.”
He also stated that attacks on nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) violate international law, the UN Charter, and relevant resolutions.
Such actions, he continued, endanger international peace and security and require serious steps from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
He mentioned that several Iranian nuclear sites have been targeted, including those near the Bushehr nuclear power plant as well as facilities in Ardakan, Khondab, Natanz, and Fordow.
“All these actions violate international law,” he said.
Gharibabadi warned that if Iranian facilities are attacked from the territory of another country, then “similar facilities in that country will also become targets of proportionate response,” which he described as a legitimate right of self-defence under the UN Charter and international law.
Regarding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he said Iran remains committed, but acknowledged growing domestic criticism.
“There are increasingly more voices questioning why Iran continues to honour its commitments,” he said, including proposals in parliament to withdraw from the treaty.
Regional tensions have escalated since the United States (US) and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on 28 February, reported to have killed more than 1,340 people, including the Supreme Leader at the time, Ali Khamenei.
Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, as a form of self-defence.
Source: Anadolu