Iran rejects French idea for global effort to demine Strait of Hormuz
Iran is firmly rejecting international involvement in mine clearance in the Strait of Hormuz, which was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on social media platform X on Monday.
Such a deployment would violate the existing framework agreement, he said. The accord stipulated that responsibility for mine clearance lay exclusively with Iran, the deputy minister said.
According to Gharibabadi, Tehran would never allow a joint operation. He also accused Paris of further aggravating the already tense situation in the strategically important strait in the Gulf.
“We strongly advise France not to complicate it further with its provocations,” he wrote.
Macron discussed the Strait of Hormuz during a visit by the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik, to Paris. “We have decided to collaborate jointly, in coordination with our partners, on demining the strait to secure maritime routes and ensure free and unconditional passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Macron wrote on X after the meeting.
The Élysée Palace also published a joint statement that stated that French and Omani leaders “emphasized the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and reaffirmed their commitment to free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation, including the right of transit passage in accordance with the law of the sea.”
“Both parties agreed to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to support freedom of navigation going forward and conduct joint demining operations.”
Asked to clarify, the Élysée Palace did not specify whether Oman had agreed to support the initiative pushed by France and the United Kingdom for an international naval mission in the strait after the end of all hostilities or whether there were any further plans by France and Oman.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy transit routes, carrying a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
