The Middle East conflict has threatened freedom of navigation, with Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
Since 28 February, Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, permitting only limited vessel movement. Ships attempting passage face threats and attacks, leaving approximately 1,000 vessels and nearly 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf.
“The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable. Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law,” Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the IMO, said in an address to the UN Security Council.
Arsenio Dominguez said that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary law, straits used for international navigation cannot be closed by bordering states, nor can tolls or discriminatory transit measures be imposed.
Arsenio Dominguez cautioned that any departure from established navigation principles would threaten global shipping stability.
He noted that the International Maritime Organisation established a Traffic Separation Scheme in the Strait of Hormuz in 1968, jointly operated by Iran and Oman to ensure safe passage under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Both countries are signatories to SOLAS, though Iran is not part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Iran’s disruption of the Strait of Hormuz has unsettled the global economy. These actions are a response to military strikes and economic pressure, including sanctions and infrastructure attacks.
