Bahrain: We Will Not Meet with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz Before Relations Are Restored
Al-Taj News – Bahrain confirmed on Saturday that it will not participate in any collective meeting involving Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz before diplomatic relations between the two countries are restored.
The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this position had previously been conveyed to the Sultanate of Oman through official channels, stressing that this “does not detract from the Kingdom’s appreciation for their sincere efforts nor from its commitment to dialogue as a means of resolving disputes.”
The Bahraini Foreign Ministry added that dialogue “is not based on disregarding facts,” noting that the Kingdom had been subjected to attacks targeting its infrastructure and civilian facilities, and that “one of them, by targeting an ammonia tank, nearly led to a comprehensive catastrophe.”
It pointed out that the targeting of the “East-West” oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia on Friday confirms that targeting civilian and economic facilities is “an imminent danger, not a matter that has passed.”
It affirmed that the security and stability of the region cannot be built on overlooking attacks, “nor bought by remaining silent about their consequences or preserved through a policy of appeasement,” stressing Bahrain’s commitment to good-neighborliness, the need to halt attacks, the assumption of international responsibility for them and redress for the resulting damages, respect for the sovereignty of states, and the settlement of outstanding issues through legal means.
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry reiterated Bahrain’s position that any arrangement concerning navigation in the strait must be based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, be adopted by the International Maritime Organization, and safeguard the right of innocent passage for all vessels without discrimination, fees, or permits, with the participation of all member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
