'Interventionist, provocative': Iran slams US-GCC statement on Strait of Hormuz, regional security

On the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran said security disruptions in the waterway were the direct result of recent US and Israeli military actions and accused some regional states of complicity.

The ministry reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and said shipping management there would be governed by Article 5 of the recently signed war-ending memorandum of understanding.

Iran called on GCC member states to reassess their regional security approach, insisting that collective security could only be achieved through cooperation among regional countries without foreign intervention.

On Thursday, the US and Gulf Cooperation Council countries called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that free navigation through the strategic waterway remains “essential” to regional and global security.

In a joint statement issued after a US-GCC ministerial meeting in Manama, the two sides emphasised “free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation,” including the right of transit passage under international law, and rejected “any tolls, fees, or attempts to assert control” over the Strait of Hormuz.

The ministers also stressed the need to maintain unity as US-Iran negotiations move towards a more permanent end to hostilities while citing the shared objective of preventing Iran from developing or acquiring a nuclear weapon.

They welcomed the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran and recognised the mediation roles of Pakistan and Qatar.

The statement also said any trade and investment with Iran would be “conditional and reversible,” depending on Tehran’s compliance with the memorandum and any final agreement, as well as ending what it called Iran’s “destabilising behavior.”