PNN – Dutch ministers announced in a letter to parliament that a minesweeper will be dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea to enable rapid deployment in the region if an agreement is reached on a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; The letter, signed by the Dutch Minister of Defense and Foreign Minister, claims that the minesweeper, which begins its deployment this week, will be able to join NATO’s Standing Group on Mine Action from mid-June.
The ministers also claimed that preparations are underway for a possible Dutch role in ensuring the security of shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf region.
It is worth noting that, following the illegal attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime against its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in light of the exchange of fire between Iran and the countries in the region that had given their territory to the United States and Israel, Iran banned traffic in the international waterway of the Strait of Hormuz, the transit section of which is located in Iranian territorial waters, especially for ships from hostile countries, and announced that from now on, ship traffic must be carried out in full coordination with Iran.
Iran also introduced the initiative of charging a service fee and traffic management fee for safe passage through the route by enforcing the law on ships passing through this route, which was met with reactions from various countries.
Under the terms of the ceasefire with the United States, Iranian authorities had agreed to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz under the supervision of the Iranian armed forces during negotiations with Washington, but the illegal naval blockade of Iran by the United States after the first round of negotiations in Islamabad failed led to the return of the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-ceasefire conditions.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently said in an interview about the claims against Iran regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz: We must remember that the Strait of Hormuz was open before February 28, when the United States and Israel launched their aggressive action against Iran. Therefore, the entire international community must bear in mind that the United States must be held accountable for this situation in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. As a coastal state next to Oman, we ensure the safe passage of ships and vessels through the Strait of Hormuz without jeopardizing our sovereignty and national security.
He added: We are working on a protocol and mechanism to ensure safe passage while taking into account Iran’s security concerns.