International law guarantees freedom of transit passage through strategic waterways like Hormuz, where nearly a fifth of global oil trade passes daily.
The remarks are likely to alarm the regional states and global shipping operators already grappling with severe disruption in one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly a fifth of global oil shipments, and international maritime law guarantees freedom of transit passage through such waterways. Iran’s repeated attempts to impose conditions or restrictions on movement through the strait have triggered widespread criticism from Western and Gulf governments.
Qatar warning
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warned on Tuesday that the waterway was being turned into a geopolitical weapon.
Speaking alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sheikh Mohammed said the Middle East crisis and the Strait of Hormuz standoff were having severe repercussions on Gulf states, especially economically.
“Iran should not use this strait as a weapon to pressure or to blackmail the Gulf countries,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Iranian government meanwhile said Tehran was still “holding the trigger” despite pursuing negotiations.
“We fought the world’s greatest military power for 40 days, and we are still holding the trigger and waiting for a negotiated settlement,” government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.
Kuwait foils IRGC infiltration bid
The rhetoric came as Kuwait announced that authorities had thwarted what it described as a hostile infiltration operation involving members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
According to Kuwait’s interior ministry, four men arrested earlier this month after attempting to enter the country by sea confessed to belonging to the IRGC. The group included two navy colonels, a captain and a lieutenant commander.
The suspects allegedly attempted to infiltrate Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island aboard a fishing boat “specially chartered to carry out hostile actions against Kuwait”, the ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency Kuna.
A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News — both in print and online — focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics.
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