Iran files complaint against US to International Maritime Organization
Following the US warning to insurance companies to sanction Iranian tankers, Tehran has complained to the International Maritime Organization about the US action. The Iranian ambassador to the UK has called the US “responsible for any accident at sea.”
Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to the United Kingdom, announced that the Iranian embassy in the country has sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to complain to the organization against the United States.
The move comes a day after Brian Hook, the head of the US State Department's Iran Action Group, said international insurers were barred from insuring Iranian tankers. He said on Wednesday that Iranian tankers were turning off their radars to avoid detection, which could cause environmental disasters.
According to Hook, prohibiting international companies from insuring Iranian ships will force Iran to resort to the services of domestic insurance companies to insure its ships, and these companies will not be able to pay heavy compensation, which could amount to billions of dollars.
Hamid Baeidinejad has called the US sanctions against Iranian ships a “violation of international maritime treaties” and “endangering maritime safety.” He wrote that for this reason, Iran has requested a “special examination” of this issue in the organization’s council in a letter to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization in London.
The Iranian ambassador to London wrote in a text he posted on his Telegram channel: "Without a doubt, Iran cannot prevent its fleet of ships from exporting oil, as well as exporting and importing commercial and industrial goods, due to the illegal demand of the United States."
He added: "America will definitely be responsible for any incident at sea."
The second round of US sanctions against Iran, targeting the oil, gas and shipping industries, went into effect on Monday, November 4. US officials have said the aim of the sanctions is to completely cut off Iran's oil exports. Brian Hook said the US strategy of applying maximum pressure on Iran has been successful so far and Washington will continue to do so.
According to a Reuters report, Iran's oil exports have now dropped from 2.8 million barrels per day in April (before the US withdrew from the JCPOA) to 1.8 million barrels per day.
Source: DW
