DUBAI/KUWAIT: The UAE accused Iran on Saturday of targeting a tanker belonging to its state-owned oil company in the Strait of Hormuz, even as both Iran and Oman suggested talks on administering the vital waterway were progressing. Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge users for passage, repeatedly attacking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.
The US vehemently opposes any Iranian tolls in the strait, though a June deal struck by the warring parties does allow Tehran to hammer out arrangements for the “future administration” of Hormuz in dialogue with fellow coastal state Oman.
The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry on Saturday condemned a “hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties”. On Friday, ADNOC had put out a statement saying that since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz, “including three vessels this week alone”.
Kuwait’s foreign affairs on Saturday expressed Kuwait’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attack, describing it as a blatant violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2817 and a direct threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and global energy supplies.
The ministry stressed the need for an immediate halt to all acts of escalation and compliance with international law, which guarantees freedom of navigation, affirming Kuwait’s rejection of any attack threatening the security and safety of maritime navigation. The ministry also reaffirmed Kuwait’s full solidarity with the sisterly UAE and its support for all measures taken by the UAE to safeguard its sovereignty and protect its security and interests.
Oman’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned “repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”. Oman said in its statement that “ongoing negotiations regarding navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz are proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere”, and urged against any actions that might jeopardize the progress.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said Saturday that talks with Oman were “approaching the final stages”, but cautioned that “this is not a sign of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”. “The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation of the memorandum of understanding by the United States,” he said, referencing the June deal.
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Iranian military, underscored the point, saying: “The opening of the Strait of Hormuz has its own mechanism and has nothing to do with the negotiations between Iran and Oman. The enemy is forced to accept Iran’s conditions for the opening of the strait and to refrain from the interference that it is currently making in the negotiations — which have almost reached their end — between Iran, Oman and other countries.” — Agencies