DUBAI: Oman urged Iran on Sunday to release the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, which it seized on Friday, and said it was in contact with all concerned to ensure the safety of commercial vessels.
Oman also called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve differences diplomatically, Oman's foreign ministry said on Twitter.
“The Sultanate (of Oman) is in contact with all parties to ensure safe passage of commercial vessels crossing the (Hormuz) Strait, while preserving its right to its own territorial waters,” the ministry statement said.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Britain said the Stena Impero was approached by Iranian forces when it was in Omani territorial waters exercising its lawful rite of passage, and the action “constitutes illegal interference”.
Britain on Saturday denounced Iran's seizure of the tanker as a “hostile act” and rejected Tehran's explanation that it seized the vessel because it had been involved in an accident.
Oman urges Iran to let seized tanker depart
Oman urges Iran to let seized tanker depart
- Oman also called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve differences diplomatically
- “The Sultanate (of Oman) calls for not exposing this region to risks impacting freedom of navigation,” Oman TV said
Iraq welcomes the appointment of Iran’s new supreme leader
- Armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah said it reflects a profound understanding “of the existential challenges confronting the nation”
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomed on Monday the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader after his predecessor and father was killed in US and Israeli strikes.
“We express our confidence in the ability of the new leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage this critical stage,” and to further strengthen “the unity of the Iranian people” amid the current challenges, Sudani said in a statement.
He stressed that Iraq stands in solidarity with Iran and supports “all steps aimed at ending the conflict.”
Iran wields significant influence in Iraqi politics, and also backs armed groups whose power has grown both politically and financially.
Iraq has for decades been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran.
Pro-Tehran Iraqi groups were among the first to welcome the new supreme leader.
The powerful Badr organization said the new leadership represents a “blessed continuity of the path of the Islamic revolution.”
The Asaib Ahl Al-Haq faction said choosing Mojtaba Khamenei shows continuity and “reinforcement of the Islamic republic’s role as a central pillar in the axis of resistance.”
Armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah said it reflects a profound understanding “of the existential challenges confronting the nation.”
“The best successor to the best predecessor,” said Kataeb Hezbollah, which is part of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq — a pro-Iran alliance that has been claiming attacks on US bases since the start of the war in the Middle East.
Senior Iraqi politician and moderate cleric Ammar Al-Hakim wished the new supreme leader “success in following the path of his martyred father... in upholding the word of truth.”
