Iran and U.S. frequently at odds over U.S. passage rights through Strait of Hormuz
In the years since adoption of UNCLOS (1982) and its entry into force (1994), Iran and the United States have maintained a continuous dialogue of disagreement concerning U.S. transit rights in the Strait. Lacking diplo- matic relations, the adversaries have traded diplomatic démarches using the embassy of Switzerland in Iran as an intermediary.172 The United States continues to defend the presence of American warships, submarines, and aircraft through the Strait of Hormuz as a lawful exercise of freedom of navigation.173
Likewise, Iran is steadfast in rejecting these claims. In a television inter- view in 2008, for example, Hoseyn Panahi-Azar, the director-general of the legal and international affairs department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that the regime of innocent passage applies to U.S. warship transits in the Strait of Hormuz. Transit through the Strait may not be suspended, he acknowledged, but Iran was entitled to “impose certain limitations based on their own laws [even] for transit passage.”174
Quicktabs: Evidence
Arguments
Related argument(s) where this quote is used.
-
Iran has frequently threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for adverse sanctions or military action. Ratifying UNCLOS would nullify Iran’s challenges should it ever choose to close the strait to U.S. or other flagged ships. Moreover, ratifying LOSC will provide the U.S. Navy the strongest legal footing for countering an Iranian anti-access campaign in the Persian Gulf.
Keywords:Related Quotes:- Iran using excessive claims to restrict U.S. freedom of navigation rights in Straits of Hormuz
- Iran directly trying to challenge US maritime dominance by denying freedom of navigation
- Ratification of UNCLOS will nullify Iran's attempts to deny U.S. access to Straits of Hormuz
- Ratifying UNCLOS would give U.S. another tool to isolate Iran if it threatens to close Strait of Hormuz
- ... and 10 more quote(s)