Iranian parliamentary committee approves Hormuz Strait security action plan
Tehran, Aug 10
The Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee has approved the general outlines of a strategic action plan to "ensure the security and sustainable progress" of the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, the official news agency IRNA reported.
The plan was discussed at a committee meeting and approved without opposition, IRNA quoted committee spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi as saying.
Qashqavi said lawmakers reviewed submissions from relevant Iranian bodies before endorsing the plan's general framework, Xinhua news agency reported.
The legislation was formally introduced to the parliament on July 13, according to IRNA.
Iran tightened its grip on the strait on February 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.
In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. The two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement, but recent escalation in the region has left the talks' fate uncertain.
In July, the US military launched multiple waves of strikes on Iranian targets, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping." Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on US military bases and facilities in the region.
Iran and Oman have been negotiating since a few weeks ago to reach an agreement on the designation of a new route in the strait for safe maritime traffic.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Aragchi stated that there are currently no ongoing negotiations with the United States.
The Foreign Minister's stance came while speaking to reporters at the Centre for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
"We currently have no negotiations with the United States. Intermediaries are still making efforts to find ways to resume negotiations. From our perspective, there can be no resumption of talks until the United States ends its violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and makes amends for the breaches it has committed," Aragchi said.
"Until the violations of the memorandum of understanding by the United States are ended and the United States does not make amends for what it has violated, in our opinion, there is no possibility of resuming negotiations," he noted, according to Tasnim.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The whole Iran-US thing is like a never-ending soap opera. First they sign an MoU, then they start bombing each other. Meanwhile, countries like India have to face the consequence of higher shipping costs and inflation. It's always the middlemen who suffer in these big power games. 🤷♀️
Honestly, Iran is just defending its sovereign interests. America and Israel have been bullying the region for decades. If they block the strait, it's their right to do so when threatened. But I do worry about our sailors and our trade routes. India should broker peace here, we have good relations with both sides.
This is really concerning for global trade. The Strait of Hormuz handles about 20% of the world's oil supply, and any military tension there just makes everything uncertain. I sincerely hope both sides can get back to the negotiating table. US striking Iranian targets doesn't help anyone except defence contractors.
I just hope India is prepared for any worst-case scenario. We need to ensure our strategic oil reserves are full and work on the Chabahar port as an alternative route. Government talks about it but I'm not sure they're acting fast enough. दुनिया भर में तनाव बढ़ता जा रहा है, हमें तैयार रहना होगा। 😔
The Iranian foreign minister's statement is clear - no talks until the US stops violating the MoU. That seems fair, actually. You can't expect Iran to negotiate with a country that
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