About 80 countries called for the urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, September 24, in a joint statement delivered at the United Nations by Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. The signatories said restrictions and attacks affecting the waterway threaten international navigation, energy security and trade. They called for ships to pass safely and without tolls or other conditions, according to Reuters and maritime publication gCaptain.
The statement came during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, as the route between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman remains heavily disrupted by the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Hormuz is a major outlet for Gulf oil and gas exports. The dispute over access has become a diplomatic and economic concern well beyond the countries directly involved in the fighting.
Al Zayani’s statement accused Iran of threatening navigational rights and freedoms in the strait. It also condemned renewed Houthi fighting in Yemen, strikes on Saudi Arabia and attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. The signatories warned that any Houthi advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could raise the risks facing ships using a second important trade corridor. These were the countries’ allegations, rather than independently established findings in the statement.
The group included Gulf Arab states and major Western powers, Reuters reported. According to gCaptain, the signatories also backed a UN Security Council resolution adopted in March that condemned attacks on Gulf states and interference with shipping. Their latest appeal sought the full restoration of passage for all vessels and emphasized the safety of merchant crews, who continue to work in the region despite the danger.
Iran and the Houthis describe their actions as defensive, Reuters reported. An Iranian official told the agency earlier this week that Tehran could reopen Hormuz within seven days if the United States eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports. That conditional proposal has not produced a confirmed reopening. The opposing positions show why the statement is a diplomatic demand rather than an agreement between the parties.
The pressure on both Hormuz and the Red Sea has consequences for freight, insurance and energy supplies. UN Trade and Development said at a September 17 Security Council meeting that disruptions at maritime chokepoints can spread through shipping costs, food prices and household budgets. The countries behind Thursday’s statement said they would continue working with maritime organizations and regional partners to restore normal transit when security conditions allow.
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