Oman meeting called off at Saudi Arabia’s request: Esmaeil Baqaei
Oman meeting called off at Saudi Arabia’s request: Esmaeil Baqaei
M.U.H
14/09/202629
Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says a planned meeting of the foreign ministers of regional countries in Oman was canceled at Saudi Arabia’s request, adding that Iran and Oman have finalized an understanding on maritime routes and will decide with Muscat how to announce it.
Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Baqaei said the meeting was intended as an opportunity for Iran and Oman to present their understanding of how to ensure maritime routes and address issues related to the rights and sovereignty of coastal states.
Responding to a question from IRNA’s correspondent about the sudden cancellation, Baqaei confirmed that Saudi Arabia had asked that the gathering not be held for the time being.
He rejected claims that Iran’s decision to pursue the meeting was driven by fluctuations in oil prices or other short-term considerations, saying foreign-policy and national-security decisions cannot be based on a single factor.
“We should not call our own rational and forward-looking measures into question because of the ill-considered actions or broken promises of others,” Baqaei said.
Iran and Oman had created an opportunity for regional countries to sit together and discuss ways to establish a secure region free from the intervention of outside actors, he said.
Baqaei lamented that the opportunity was not seized, adding that attributing the cancellation to developments between Saudi Arabia and Yemen amounted to “giving the wrong address.”
“We have always said, tried, and demonstrated in practice that we are ready to help resolve these issues,” he said, stressing that the problems in Yemen have deep roots.
The Iranian spokesperson warned that continued wars among Muslim countries in the region would ultimately benefit Israel, which he said seeks to perpetuate tension and insecurity among regional states.
On the next steps concerning the Iran-Oman understanding, Baqaei said the agreement between the two coastal states has been finalized.
“As for what we will do in the next stages, the understanding between Iran and Oman, as two coastal states, has been finalized. We will consult with Oman and decide on the next step and on how to announce or register this understanding, and information will be provided,” he said.
Baqaei also criticized US claims regarding maritime security in the region, pointing to a recent attack on an Iranian vessel near Hengam Island that killed Iranian national Jamshid Rajabi and wounded several people, including two Pakistani nationals working aboard the vessel.
He said the incident was another indication of the contradiction between Washington’s claims of concern for maritime safety and its military actions in the region.
“The United States has deployed forces thousands of kilometers away from its own borders to our region and claims to be concerned about the safety and security of maritime navigation, while attacking Iranian vessels near our borders and on our shores,” he said.
At the beginning of the press conference, Baqaei also spoke about his visit to Lamerd, a city in southern Iran that was hit at the beginning of the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran on February 28.
He said what he witnessed in the city was far more severe than what has been conveyed through television and media reports, describing the targeting of civilian areas in the 30,000-population city as incompatible with any humanitarian standard.
According to Baqaei, four missiles weighing 500 kilograms each and containing thousands of pellets were detonated over the city, including near a stadium, residential areas, a blood transfusion center, and an educational environment.
He said 21 innocent people, including an Afghan national, were killed in the attacks and described the targeting as a war crime.
Baqaei also paid tribute to Mahmoud Najafi, a teacher and football coach who, according to the spokesperson, tried until his final moments to save children who were playing football near the Lamerd stadium.
He said the victims and those wounded in the attack would remain symbols of resistance and sacrifice, and expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wishes for recovery for the wounded.
Baqaei further said he attended a gathering of Lamerd residents on Saturday night to pay tribute to the people of the city, particularly the families of those killed and wounded, whom he described as examples of patience and insight in the face of US aggression.
