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"On Point"
MINSK, 19 April (BelTA) - In the latest episode of BelTA’s V Teme [On Point] project Ukrainian military expert Yuri Dudkin explained who has the right to conduct blockade operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
When asked whether the United States actually has the capability to block the Strait of Hormuz, as has been claimed, the military analyst emphasized that such situations are governed by international maritime law. “This is a document that determines who has the right to block straits. There are many straits in the world. Only those countries whose territory is washed by those straits have that right. There’s no need to overcomplicate it. On top of that, there are international acts that spell out the rules of blockade: under what circumstances straits may be blocked, when, and for how long, among other things,” he stated.
Yuri Dudkin explained that there are civilized ways to resolve such issues. “That is exactly what Iran did. It is even sharing its future responsibility for the blockade or control of the Strait of Hormuz with Oman,” he said.
Thus, under international maritime law, Iran and Oman have every right to close the strait, and any outside country that declares a blockade violates that right. “The United States tried to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians warned them twice over open channels, in English, that the Americans were encroaching on the zone of interests of the state of Iran, and that they would be forced to open fire on them. This was said in plain language. After the second warning, the Americans turned around and withdrew to the Indian Ocean. Tensions escalated twice,” the analyst said, noting that the United States is trying to determine its further strategy.
Yuri Dudkin explained that there are civilized ways to resolve such issues. “That is exactly what Iran did. It is even sharing its future responsibility for the blockade or control of the Strait of Hormuz with Oman,” he said.
Thus, under international maritime law, Iran and Oman have every right to close the strait, and any outside country that declares a blockade violates that right. “The United States tried to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians warned them twice over open channels, in English, that the Americans were encroaching on the zone of interests of the state of Iran, and that they would be forced to open fire on them. This was said in plain language. After the second warning, the Americans turned around and withdrew to the Indian Ocean. Tensions escalated twice,” the analyst said, noting that the United States is trying to determine its further strategy.
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