Gulf states urge UN action to ensure Strait of Hormuz safety

Gulf states are pushing a United Nations Security Council resolution that threatens Iran with sanctions and other measures if it does not halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, stop imposing “illegal tolls”, and disclose the location of all mines to allow freedom of navigation. Speaking at the UN on Thursday, top diplomats from Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stressed the importance of resuming pre-war traffic levels in the narrow waterway through which about a fifth of global energy exports pass in peacetime. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list Ensuring the strait remains open is a “demand set forth” by UN conventions, as well as a “shared international responsibility,” said Qatar’s ambassador to the UN, Alya Ahmed Saif al-Thani. The current situation “not only jeopardises global economic stability and energy security but also worsens humanitarian crises and undermines regional stability,” she added. The three Gulf nations co-drafting the resolution, along with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United States, also demand that Iran “immediately participate in and enable” UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the strait to deliver vital aid, fertiliser and other goods. The oil and gas-rich countries have found themselves on the front line of the war between Tehran and Washington. …