WANA (May 10) – The Deputy Foreign Minister stated today that the Strait of Hormuz is not the common property of extra-regional powers, asserting that the presence of French and British warships, or any other country, for potential accompaniment of the U.S. in this strait will be met with a decisive and immediate response from Iran’s armed forces.

 

Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated today (Sunday): “France has announced that it has sent the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle toward the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to prepare for a future joint cooperation mission between France and England with the aim of strengthening freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz region.”

 

“Meanwhile, the British government has also announced that in accompaniment with France, it will dispatch one of its warships to the Red Sea,” he said.

 

He added: “Any dispatch and deployment of extra-regional destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz, with the claim of ‘protecting navigation,’ is nothing but the escalation of crisis, the militarization of a vital waterway, and an attempt to cover up the real root of insecurity in the region.”

 

The Deputy Foreign Minister stated: “Navigation security is not provided by a display of military power; especially by actors who, through support, participation, or silence in the face of aggression and blockade, are themselves part of the problems.”

 

He stated: “The source of insecurity in the region is the illegal recourse to force, constant threats against coastal states, maritime blockade, and disregard for the United Nations Charter.”

 

The Deputy Foreign Minister clarified: “The Strait of Hormuz is not the common property of extra-regional powers; it is a sensitive waterway adjacent to coastal states, and the exercise of sovereignty by the Islamic Republic of Iran over this strait and the determination of its legal arrangements is the right of Iran as a coastal country.”

 

Gharibabadi noted: “French officials announced that their dispatched vessel is responsible for the mission of mine-clearing and escorting ships after the return of calm.”

 

“We remind them that whether in time of war or peace, only the Islamic Republic of Iran can establish security in this strait and will not allow any country to interfere in such matters,” he said.

 

Gharibabadi stated: “Accordingly, it is noted that the presence of French and British warships or any other country for potential accompaniment with the illegal actions of America contrary to international law in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, they are emphatically advised not to make the situation more complicated.”