More than 20 countries announced their readiness to contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, strongly condemning Iran’s effective closure of the vital waterway that carries
a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.
In a joint statement, 22 nations- mostly European but also including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain- condemned Iran’s actions in the Persian Gulf in unambiguous terms.
“We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” the statement read.
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The countries added that they expressed their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait” and welcomed the commitment of nations already engaged in preparatory planning. The statement also called for “an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations.”
The declaration follows weeks of escalating conflict in the region. After the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, Tehran retaliated with attacks on its Gulf neighbours as well as on vessels transiting the strait.
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The impact on shipping has been severe as from March 1 to 19, commodities carriers made just 116 crossings through the strait, a decrease of 95 percent from peacetime averages, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.
The near-closure of the strait, through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas normally flows, combined with widespread attacks on energy infrastructure across the Middle East, has sent global energy prices sharply higher in recent weeks.
