Iran’s Khamenei calls for Gulf unity as Hormuz tensions persist

Khamenei urges Gulf rulers to face their ‘real enemy’ arsenic Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz restricted amid stalled diplomacy.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has urged Gulf leaders to place their “real enemy” and face it, arsenic Tehran maintains its hard enactment implicit the Strait of Hormuz, portion determination mediators propulsion for renewed diplomacy.

“My emphatic and repeated proposal to the rulers of Islamic countries, particularly the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to place your existent enemy, recognize his program and face it,” Khamenei said successful a connection published connected Sunday to people the day of the Prophet Muhammad.

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Khamenei has not appeared publically since the US-Israeli attacks connected February 28 that killed his begetter and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mojtaba Khamenei successful Tehran, Iran, October 13, 2024 [Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA via Reuters]

The connection comes arsenic the standoff implicit the Strait of Hormuz, a cardinal waterway done which astir 20 percent of planetary lipid and liquefied earthy state shipments passed earlier the war, remains unresolved.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said connected Saturday that Iran had reached an knowing with Oman connected a impermanent maritime route, but that its implementation would beryllium connected the United States fulfilling its commitments nether the memorandum of knowing the countries signed successful mid-June, which has since lapsed.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” Gharibabadi said, adding that immoderate vas seeking to transverse would person to coordinate with Iran.

“Implementing this knowing requires the different side, peculiarly the US, to fulfil its commitments. Whenever these commitments are implemented, Iran volition besides instrumentality its measures,” helium said.

Iran and Oman person been discussing a impermanent associated shipping corridor and excavation clearance, portion Qatar and Pakistan person intensified mediation efforts. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visited Tehran connected Thursday, wherever talks included de-escalation and restoring shipping done Hormuz.

Recorded transits done the strait stay low. The Reuters quality agency, citing Kpler data, said 7 commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz connected Thursday, down from 17 a time earlier and beneath the 10-day mean of 15.

The International Maritime Organization said connected Friday that up to 400 ships carrying astir 6,000 seafarers person been incapable to permission the Gulf safely since the US-Israel warfare connected Iran began.

“Renewed governmental volition and practice is needed,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, calling for applicable measures to reconstruct state of navigation done the strait.

The diplomatic propulsion is unfolding alongside mounting economical unit connected Tehran. Iran’s yearly ostentation reached 66 percent past month, portion President Masoud Pezeshkian said imports and exports had fallen astir 35 percent due to the fact that of US sanctions and the naval blockade.

Washington has besides widened its sanctions campaign, targeting Iran-linked individuals and entities and moving to restrict the branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr slope successful the United Arab Emirates from dollar transactions implicit alleged dealings with Tehran.

Despite the pressure, Tehran has shown nary motion of yielding connected Hormuz. Pezeshkian has alternatively called for reviving the June interim statement with Washington.

“We tin lick our problems and summation our privileges with the memorandum of understanding,” helium said.