At least 15 vessels struck in waterway in past 10 days, with rumours that they were carrying valuable goods
People have been scouring the strait of Hormuz for spilt cargo after Iran attacked at least 15 container ships passing through the crucial waterway in the past 10 days.
Some ships have been hit by drones, others by mines. On Sunday, a ship was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade launched from a small boat 75 miles (120km) north-east of the Saudi port of Jubail.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) urged the United States and Iran on Monday to resume dialogue to overcome their bilateral crisis and called for restoring security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, during its 168th Ministerial Council session in Manama, Bahrain.
The foreign ministers also demanded that GCC member states participate in any negotiation or agreement that could affect their security and interests.
According to the final resolution, the ministers highlighted the need to address pending issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, drones and Tehran’s support for allied groups, while calling for respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.
The statement comes amid the confrontation between Washington and Tehran that began on February 28, and the stagnation of diplomatic efforts due to differences over Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. In that context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated Iran’s willingness to reopen the maritime route within a week, provided Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions, including lifting the blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on its oil exports.
BREAKING: Iran announces an oil tanker has hit a naval mine while exiting the Strait of Hormuz through the US-backed southern Omani corridor, with a massive fire in the engine room. pic.twitter.com/kzMnoJr4Q0
On navigation, the GCC ministers called for the situation in Hormuz to return to the conditions existing before February 28, in accordance with international law, the sovereignty of coastal states and the rights of affected countries. They stressed the importance of guaranteeing maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea, and warned against closing those routes, obstructing traffic, attacking merchant ships and crews, laying mines and imposing illegal fees or restrictions on passage. They also rejected making navigation subject to prior authorizations or imposed routes in contradiction with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law.
Marco Rubio on Iran:
They chose to take the straits hostage. They would have done it anyway.
Imagine if Iran had a nuclear weapon.
At that point, they could say, "And by the way, we own the Strait of Hormuz, and you guys can't do anything about it because we won't just hit… pic.twitter.com/OUgeE88qon
The meeting was chaired by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, with the attendance of his counterparts from member countries and the organization’s secretary-general.
As Netanyahu and Trump threaten Tehran, analysts say that an escalation is inevitable without a diplomatic settlement, possibly even before imminent Israeli and US elections
A 16 días de las elecciones de medio término, Trump marca su peor aprobación en dos mandatos. La guerra con Irán encareció el combustible y la canasta alimentaria, los millennials se alejaron de él más rápido y una parte de su base piensa quedarse en casa.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat down late last week with Breitbart News at the State Department in Washington for his first major exclusive long-form on-camera interview after delivering an address at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
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