ABU DHABI — The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors who have been stranded in the Gulf because of the US-Israel war against Iran.
IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said the “large-scale operation” would be carried out in cooperation with Iran, Oman, the US, other coastal states in the region and the maritime industry.
“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” he added.
An interim deal was signed last week to end the conflict, but both the US and Iran continue to clash on details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The US has said the MoU includes guarantees that Iran’s nuclear weapons programme will come under inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a tour of the Gulf on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates and will also visit Kuwait and Bahrain to discuss the deal with Tehran. Rubio warned on Tuesday that no country is allowed to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.
“It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law,” he said.
Evacuating stranded sailors hinges on the Strait remaining open. After February 28, when attacks against Iran first began, the country effectively closed the strait — which caused global oil prices to go beyond $100 (£75) a barrel of Brent crude oil. The closure also choked off shipments of energy and crucial commodities such as fertiliser.
So far, at least 172 vessels have travelled through the reopened Strait of Hormuz, still well below the pre-conflict average of some 138 crossings each day. Ship-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify shows more than 200 tankers appear to be waiting inside the strait.