The UN’s maritime agency, the International Maritime Organisation, says no country has a legal right to block shipping in straits used for international transit.
Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it’s a dangerous precedent to set.
“I do understand there is a conflict going on there, but there is still no legal basis in international law to take any actions to block any strait used for international navigation,” Dominguez said.
“The more retaliation measures that take place, the more the concern grows for the 20,000 seafarers still trapped in the Persian Gulf and of course everyone else around the world who continues to be impacted economically.
“The longer this goes, the longer we all will feel this impact.”
Source: BBC
-- Agencies
