GCC leaders reject Iran’s measures to close Strait of Hormuz

Riyadh: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said on Tuesday that GCC states have rejected Iran’s illegal measures to close the Strait of Hormuz and obstruct navigation through the waterway.

The statement was made at the 19th Consultative Meeting of GCC leaders held in Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah on Tuesday.

Albudaiwi said the leaders also rejected any measures that would negatively affect navigation through the strait, including the imposition of fees on ships passing through it, reports Xinhua news agency.

The leaders stressed the need to restore security and freedom of navigation in the strait and return conditions there to what they were before February 28, he added.

Albudaiwi said the GCC leaders directed the GCC General Secretariat to expedite the completion of requirements for all joint GCC projects, including transport and logistics services, and to accelerate the implementation of the GCC railway project.

He said the leaders also highlighted the need to take steps toward establishing an oil and gas pipeline project and a water interconnection project. They also called for moving forward with studies on establishing areas for GCC strategic reserves, he said.

Albudaiwi added that the leaders underlined the importance of intensifying military integration among member states and accelerating the completion of an early warning system against ballistic missiles.

He said the meeting discussed the current regional situation, particularly the regional escalation and Iranian attacks against GCC countries and Jordan.

The leaders stressed the need to establish a diplomatic path to end the crisis and pave the way for agreements and understandings that address GCC states’ concerns and enhance long-term security and stability.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US interests in the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz.

After a ceasefire was reached on April 8, talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Pakistan’s Islamabad failed to yield an agreement. The United States later imposed its own blockade on the waterway.

IANS