Iran Sees All States Equal Before Int’l Maritime Law

In a meeting with Foreign Minister of Oman Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Tehran on Saturday, Shamkhani reaffirmed Iran’s sustained policy of pursuing relationships based upon good neighbourliness, saying certain countries in the region have ruined the chance of understanding and dialogue and have also posed serious challenges to the possibility of management of regional crises with their hasty and arrogant measures and behavior.

The Iranian official also stressed that the region’s security arrangements must be ensured by tapping into the local capacities and cooperation among regional countries, stressing that interference from outsiders would result in nothing but an escalation of problems, IFP reported.

Shamkhani further voiced regret and concern about the continuation of aggression against Yemen and the killing of its innocent people, stressing that Yemen’s crisis has no military solution, and the international community must employ political solutions based upon the will of the Yemeni people to stop Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ illegitimate military attacks and a deepening of the humanitarian catastrophe in that country.

He also touched on Iran’s capture of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and the fuss made by a number of Western and regional countries, saying, “We believe that all countries must observe international maritime laws to protect security, and we do not make any difference between countries in this regard.”

“Unlike the maritime banditry by the UK which seized an Iranian oil cargo in Gibraltar illegally, Iran’s measure was fully legal and in conformity with the enforcement of maritime regulations and protection of shipping security,” he aded.

For his part, bin Alawi stressed the need for using the past experiences to prevent an escalation of tension in the region and avoid measures that fuel instability and insecurity, and called for an end to employing military tools for resolving political differences.

He also stated that all countries must observe the safety regulations, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz region, and refrain from measures that result in creation and spillover of crises or imposition of unnecessary costs on one’s own trade and that of others.

Bin Alawi, who visited Iran on Saturday, also held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

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