United Nations.- Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused the United States on Monday of acting as “pirates” and “terrorists” with the naval blockade ordered by US President Donald Trump.
«The United States is acting like pirates and terrorists who attack merchant ships through coercion and intimidation, kidnapping the crew, confiscating the ship and taking the crew members hostage», said the diplomat at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.
Iravani also lashed out at the countries that participated today in a Security Council session on the protection and security of waterways in the maritime domain.
The Naval Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
“It is regrettable that some members deliberately ignore the imposition by the United States of a maritime blockade that threatens international navigation,” he criticized.
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According to Saeid, the Iranian measures in the Strait of Hormuz, where the Persian nation maintains strict control, aim to “achieve an appropriate balance between the security interests of the State and the continuity of safe navigation” on this route, “in a high-risk and volatile environment.”
The Iranian underscored that the North American country imposed a maritime blockade and has “carried out illegal actions”, including the seizure of Iranian merchant ships in international waters and the detention of the crew.
Furthermore, he emphasized that Iran is not part of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, therefore “it is not bound by its provisions based on territory”.
The differences between the United States and Iran at the UN
During his previous intervention before the Council, he assured that Iran has taken “practical measures” consistent with international law to address the new threats against safe navigation and maintain the constant passage of ships.
«The responsibility for any interruption, obstruction, or other interference with maritime routes in the Persian Gulf and the strait lies directly with the United States and its sponsors, whose action and stabilization have strained tensions and have caused maritime security and freedom of navigation to decline», he asserted.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran remain stalled, and this weekend Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi left Pakistan without showing any intention of talking to Washington, which in turn canceled the trip to Islamabad of Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
According to the Axios portal, Iran has presented the United States with a new negotiation proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, while postponing negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program for later.
