GCC asserts Rejection of Impeding Int’l Navigation in Arab Gulf Waters
The attack by Iran on the Mercer Street tanker operated by the Israeli company, Zodiac Maritime, renewed the question of the security of international navigation and prevented it from reaching a soft state, threatening the security of the Gulf States as the preferred option for Iranian reaction and revenge against its opponents in the region.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned, on Tuesday, the attack on the tanker.
Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, affirmed the position of the Cooperation Council calling for the safety and security of international maritime transport, and its rejection of any impediment to the movement of ships and tankers.
He is also calling on the international community to bear its responsibilities towards such attacks and to ensure that they are not repeated.
Political researcher Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Jalal described Iran’s attacks across the Gulf and Arab waters as a dangerous matter that affects the safety of trade and security in the region, and that Iranian bullying in the region continues and increases.
Al-Jalal said, “It is very important to combine regional and international efforts to confront Iran’s aggressive behavior. It is unfortunate that the United States and the West in general focus on the Iranian nuclear program while ignoring the Gulf concerns about Iran’s interference in the region and the use of its ballistic missiles.”
He added that the international community, especially the United States, should ensure the safety of maritime navigation in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman in the negotiations of the nuclear agreement with Iran, pointing out that the existing damage from Iran’s continued exposure to the security of ships and tankers, and its impact is not limited to certain countries.
A set of proposals to coordinate water security in the Gulf and the region and formulate a project to protect the necessary passages for world trade came from America, Europe, and Russia bearing their perceptions of the region’s security, including Iran, which called for what it called the “Hormuz Peace Initiative.”
