The Strait of Hormuz must be opened and free to sail through. This is what the EU's foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, says ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday. In doing so, she is going against the Iranian government's ideas of only allowing passage for ships that pay a fee.
- It is clear that freedom of navigation cannot be replaced by a system of paying for passage, says Kaja Kallas.
If Iran is allowed to introduce payment in return for not firing on ships, it will create a dangerous precedent that could have an impact on maritime security elsewhere in the world, says Kallas.
The announcement comes as hundreds of ships have been stranded in the Persian Gulf, which lies west of the Strait of Hormuz, since the war in Iran began on February 28. The strait has been effectively closed to civilian shipping for most of the war because of the risk of attack. And because Iran's Revolutionary Guard has taken control of the important waterway.
On Friday last week, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz had been reopened to civilian ships, but the very next day the strait was closed again. According to Iran, this happened because the United States maintained a blockade against ships sailing via the Strait of Hormuz to and from Iranian ports.
On Saturday morning, Reuters reported that several civilian ships had begun sailing through the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf. Two of the ships announced that they had been fired upon.
- The right to freedom of movement in international waters is essential. The entire global economy depends on it, says acting Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) on his way to the Foreign Ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.
He calls for de-escalation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
- I really hope that there will be negotiations today in Islamabad. I am not sure that it will happen, but I really hope so. And I hope that the ceasefire will be extended and that everyone can agree that there should be free passage in the Strait of Hormuz, says Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
/ritzau/
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