UN-backed plan to free ships trapped in strait of Hormuz rejected by Iran

An Indian sailor stranded aboard a cargo vessel for days in the strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Elke Scholiers/Getty Images View image in fullscreen An Indian sailor stranded aboard a cargo vessel for days in the strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Elke Scholiers/Getty Images UN-backed plan to free ships trapped in strait of Hormuz rejected by Iran Blocking of proposal backed by Oman signals new threat to free passage through strait vital to world economy Iran has rejected UN-backed plans for the mass evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz , creating a new threat to the free passage of commercial ships through the strait. The proposal, backed by Oman , was potentially the first phase of a broader Omani proposal to consult on setting up a new management of the strait based on voluntary fees and modelled on the Malacca and Singapore strait mechanism. The intervention showed that Oman and Iran’s visions for the strait may differ, although they were consulting each other to try to align their plans. Iran’s intervention also damaged efforts led by Saudi Arabia to convene a conference to normalise relations between the Gulf States and Iran in a new proposed non-aggression pact. Shipping through the strait had been steadily increasing since a Memorandum of Understanding was signed last week by Iran and the US. As part of the deal, Tehran agreed that it would make its best efforts to ensure full freedom of navigation was restored to the strait and no fees or tolls would be imposed for a minimum of 60 days. But the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Thursday rejected the coordinates of two new temporary shipping evacuation lanes announced by the UN’s International Maritime Organisation in conjunction with Oman. A pre-existing transit separation scheme (TSS) route remains impassable due to mines. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) proposed two routes, one to the north of the TSS in mined Iranian sovereign waters, and another that was much more passable to the south in Omani waters. The IMO and Oman had advised that the evacuation of hundreds of ships, some which have been trapped for months, had to be coordinated with both organisations so that transit days and waiting areas could be allocated. The statement issuing the coordinates was given by the Oman National Hydrographic Office, but it appeared from the IRGC’s negative reaction that it did not have Iran’s agreement. The IRGC force described any alternative transit routes as “unacceptable and completely dangerous”. “Traffic of vessels outside the official routes is prohibited, and we warn against any traffic outside the communicated routes,” it said. The statement further emphasised that coordination with the IRGC Navy was “mandatory” for any transit through the strategic waterway. The strait has proved to be Iran’s key negotiating lever, and it does not want to weaken that lever while bargaining is still under way on lifting US sanctions, asset relief and the future of its nuclear progr