Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is not guaranteed without coordination with Iran

JAKARTA - Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Kazem Gharibabadi said on Friday, safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz could not be guaranteed with "ambiguous arrangements" or parallel routes designed outside of Tehran's consideration as a coastal state.

"A credible framework for maritime transit through this strategic waterway must be based on coordination with Tehran and in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding with the US," Gharibabadi wrote on social media X, as reported by Anadolu (26/6).

"Safe shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed by ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes, or decision-making outside the consideration of Iran as a coastal state," he added.

Gharibabadi warned that failure to meet these conditions would result in the suspension of the parallel route that had been established.

Previously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, the Strait of Hormuz is located within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, adding that the management of navigation in the waterway would be governed by Article 5 of the memorandum of understanding.

The ministry's statement was issued in response to a joint communique between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and stressing "free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation" through the strategic waterway.

The US-GCC statement also rejected "any form of levies, fees, or efforts to enforce control" over the Strait of Hormuz.

It is known that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran officially came into force on June 18 after the presidents of the two countries signed it electronically.