The request of the head of European diplomacy Kaya Kallas to open the Strait of Hormuz is the height of European hypocrisy, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on social networks.
“Enough moralizing; Europe's chronic inability to practice what it preaches has turned its talk of “international law“ into the height of hypocrisy,“ he said.
According to the diplomat, no norm of international law prohibits Iran from taking measures in the Strait of Hormuz to protect the Islamic Republic of Iran. republic. He believes that the clause for “unconditional transit“ through the strait has disappeared with the deployment of US military forces in the region.
As Bagaei stressed, the EU has no right to lecture Iran on compliance with international law “while it itself supports the war crimes of the US and Israel“.
In early April, Kallas stated that the Strait of Hormuz is a “global public good“ and that blocking it threatens world trade. She also noted that Iran should not charge fees for the passage of ships, as international law does not provide for such agreements.
In the afternoon of April 17, Iran officially announced the full opening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial ships for the duration of the ceasefire. However, the very next day, Iran announced the restoration of military control over the Strait of Hormuz due to “piratic” actions by the United States States.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that European countries were developing a plan for an international mission to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the end of hostilities, without the participation of the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron specified that this would be a “defensive mission“, which would not include “warring parties“ – the United States, Israel and Iran.
Following the US and Israeli operation, Iran announced a suspension of trade through the Strait of Hormuz, through which 15-20% of the world's oil, condensate and petroleum products pass, as well as over 30% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.