Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani rejected imposing permit or fee requirements for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway. Al Zayani announced this position in a speech at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday.
Al Zayani said the right of passage for vessels of all states was guaranteed under international law and expressed opposition to the creation of unilateral conditions in the strait. The Bahraini minister said international waterways should not be turned into instruments of pressure or economic coercion, warning that restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz could set a precedent for other strategic waterways.
Al Zayani also said alternative maritime routes could not replace the right of passage through the Strait of Hormuz or legitimize restrictions on navigation.
Al Zayani's allegations concerning Iran
The Bahraini minister alleged that Iran had carried out approximately 7,000 attacks against Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan. Al Zayani claimed that the attacks involved 1,700 ballistic missiles, 80 cruise missiles and 5,220 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Al Zayani's speech also alleged that 2,000 cargo ships and tankers carrying 20,000 seafarers had been detained, 72 commercial vessels had been targeted and 22 seafarers had been killed.
Security in the Gulf and the Red Sea
Al Zayani said attacks on commercial vessels and navigation restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz could have consequences extending beyond the Gulf region, driving up energy, food, transport and insurance costs. He said these developments could also disrupt global supply chains.
Al Zayani also condemned attacks by the Houthis in Yemen against civilian areas and Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia. Opposing actions that threaten navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, Al Zayani said security in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb formed parts of a single maritime security system.
