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The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology on Thursday (Apr 9) called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened unconditionally, adding that access to the vital waterway was currently being “restricted, conditioned and controlled”.
“Iran has made clear - through both its statements and actions - that passage is subject to permission, conditions and political leverage. That is not freedom of navigation. That is coercion,” Dr Sultan Al Jaber said in a LinkedIn post.
Iran, the US and Israel reached a tentative, two-week ceasefire on Wednesday in the war that tore across the Middle East and disrupted the global energy market. The deal involves the US suspending attacks on Iran, with Tehran in turn temporarily reopening the strait.
However, an Iranian official said on Wednesday that the waterway - through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flowed before the US-Israeli war on Iran began nearly six weeks ago - could be reopened by Friday in a limited fashion under Iranian control.
Tehran had also indicated earlier this week that, under a permanent peace deal, it would seek to charge a fee for transiting ships.
Dr Al Jaber, who is also managing director and group CEO of the UAE’s state oil giant ADNOC, said the strait was not built, engineered, financed or constructed by any state, and that no country had a legitimate right to determine who may pass and under what terms.
“It is a natural passage governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees transit as a matter of right; not a privilege to be granted, withheld or weaponised,” he wrote, stressing that it must be opened with “no strings attached”.
“The strait must be open - fully, unconditionally and without restriction. Energy security and global economic stability depend on it. The weaponisation of this vital waterway, in any form, cannot stand. This would set a dangerous precedent for the world – undermining the principle of freedom of navigation that underpins global trade and, ultimately, the stability of the global economy.”
The matter is “particularly urgent” for Asia, where 80 per cent of waiting cargoes are bound and half the world's population lives, he said.
Dr Al Jaber’s remarks come after Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Tuesday that the country will not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as doing so would undermine fundamental principles of international law.
Responding to a parliamentary question by Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi (WP-Aljunied) on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider paying a toll for its vessels, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that transit through such waterways is a right - not a privilege.
“There is a right of transit passage,” he said. “It is not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state, it’s not a licence to be supplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid.”
He emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz, like the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore, is a waterway used for international navigation. This right is codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Singapore is a signatory.
Dr Balakrishnan added that the principle applies even to states that have not ratified UNCLOS, stating that it is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for them.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday emphasised that the country’s good international relationships have helped it navigate the current Middle East situation.
"Malaysia is fortunate because our international relations are very close with all countries … whether it is myself, the foreign minister or other Cabinet members - to ensure we have a better understanding of the situation," he said.
Speaking during an address at the Transport Ministry, the prime minister cited Malaysia’s good relations with Iran and how it helped the country secure passage for its Petronas ships.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday that the first of seven Malaysia-owned commercial vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has transited the strait and is en route to its final destination.
The ministry said the ship’s passage followed high-level diplomatic engagement between both countries’ leaders and foreign ministers in March.
The ministry’s statement came a day after the Iranian embassy in Malaysia's announcement. “We had said that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not forget its friends," the embassy posted on social media platform X.
Source: CNA/Agencies/zl
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FAST
The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology on Thursday (Apr 9) called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened unconditionally, adding that access to the vital waterway was currently being “restricted, conditioned and controlled”.
“Iran has made clear - through both its statements and actions - that passage is subject to permission, conditions and political leverage. That is not freedom of navigation. That is coercion,” Dr Sultan Al Jaber said in a LinkedIn post.
Iran, the US and Israel reached a tentative, two-week ceasefire on Wednesday in the war that tore across the Middle East and disrupted the global energy market. The deal involves the US suspending attacks on Iran, with Tehran in turn temporarily reopening the strait.
However, an Iranian official said on Wednesday that the waterway - through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flowed before the US-Israeli war on Iran began nearly six weeks ago - could be reopened by Friday in a limited fashion under Iranian control.
Tehran had also indicated earlier this week that, under a permanent peace deal, it would seek to charge a fee for transiting ships.
Related:
Dr Al Jaber, who is also managing director and group CEO of the UAE’s state oil giant ADNOC, said the strait was not built, engineered, financed or constructed by any state, and that no country had a legitimate right to determine who may pass and under what terms.
“It is a natural passage governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees transit as a matter of right; not a privilege to be granted, withheld or weaponised,” he wrote, stressing that it must be opened with “no strings attached”.
“The strait must be open - fully, unconditionally and without restriction. Energy security and global economic stability depend on it. The weaponisation of this vital waterway, in any form, cannot stand. This would set a dangerous precedent for the world – undermining the principle of freedom of navigation that underpins global trade and, ultimately, the stability of the global economy.”
The matter is “particularly urgent” for Asia, where 80 per cent of waiting cargoes are bound and half the world's population lives, he said.
SINGAPORE'S POSITION
Dr Al Jaber’s remarks come after Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Tuesday that the country will not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as doing so would undermine fundamental principles of international law.
Responding to a parliamentary question by Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi (WP-Aljunied) on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider paying a toll for its vessels, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that transit through such waterways is a right - not a privilege.
“There is a right of transit passage,” he said. “It is not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state, it’s not a licence to be supplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid.”
He emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz, like the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore, is a waterway used for international navigation. This right is codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Singapore is a signatory.
Dr Balakrishnan added that the principle applies even to states that have not ratified UNCLOS, stating that it is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for them.
MALAYSIA’S GOOD RELATIONS WITH IRAN
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday emphasised that the country’s good international relationships have helped it navigate the current Middle East situation.
"Malaysia is fortunate because our international relations are very close with all countries … whether it is myself, the foreign minister or other Cabinet members - to ensure we have a better understanding of the situation," he said.
Speaking during an address at the Transport Ministry, the prime minister cited Malaysia’s good relations with Iran and how it helped the country secure passage for its Petronas ships.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday that the first of seven Malaysia-owned commercial vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has transited the strait and is en route to its final destination.
The ministry said the ship’s passage followed high-level diplomatic engagement between both countries’ leaders and foreign ministers in March.
The ministry’s statement came a day after the Iranian embassy in Malaysia's announcement. “We had said that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not forget its friends," the embassy posted on social media platform X.
Related:
Source: CNA/Agencies/zl
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