Iran on Friday reaffirmed its claim to oversee shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against aligning with the United States, a day after an attack on a commercial vessel near Oman underscored the fragility of a preliminary US-Iran peace agreement.
Tehran was responding to a joint statement issued by the United States and six Gulf countries, which rejected Iran’s assertion that it could impose tolls on vessels transiting the strategic waterway.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz could not be guaranteed under “ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making” that ignored Iran’s role as a coastal state.
The comments came after the UN International Maritime Organization suspended its ship escort operations through the strait on Thursday.
Iranian state television later reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had turned back three foreign oil tankers attempting what it described as an “unauthorised passage” through the strait after issuing warnings. No further details were provided.