Bahrain urges Iran to end maritime threats as UN shipping body rejects Hormuz claims

MANAMA, Jul 10: Bahrain has urged Iran to stop threatening maritime security, while the governing council of the UN's shipping agency called on countries to reject Tehran's claims of authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, Bahrain's ambassador to the United Nations, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, said Iran continued to pose a threat to maritime security and urged Tehran to comply with its memorandum of understanding with the United States.

Separately, the governing council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a non-binding decision strongly condemning Iran's attempt to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and its establishment of an authority claiming control over vessel traffic through the strategic waterway.

The IMO urged member states not to recognize any Iranian measures aimed at restricting international navigation through the strait.

Iran's recently established Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced in June that ships would require permits to transit the waterway. Tehran rejected the IMO's criticism as politically motivated, insisting its measures do not amount to closing the Strait of Hormuz.