&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Over 20 countries pledge support to secure Strait of Hormuz shipping routes")
As the surge in the energy crisis sparked by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continues to impact oil supply across nations, more than 20 countries have announced their readiness to contribute efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait and strongly condemned Iran's effective closure of the key waterway, which accounts for the shipment of nearly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the 22 nations, mostly European but also including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, condemned Iran's strikes on civilian infrastructure and oil and gas facilities.
"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.
On Wednesday, Tehran targeted Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub and the UAE’s Habshan gas complex in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that targeted Iran's South Pars gas field, the world’s largest natural gas reservoir. The US has distanced itself from the strike on the South Pars gas field, saying it was Israel's independent decision.
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.”
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The move comes as the war in West Asia enters its third week, triggered by the bombing campaign started by the US-Israeli military on February 28. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior leaders, including security chief Ali Larijani, Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib, and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, were killed by the United States and Israel in decapitation strikes.
Despite the decapitation strikes and the massive bombing campaign, Iran remains defiant and has launched attacks on US bases across the region and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. From March 1 to 19, commodity carriers made just 116 crossings, according to analytics firm Kpler, a decrease of 95 per cent from peacetime averages.
(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
