Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Sep 14: A planned meeting between Iran and officials from Gulf states to discuss the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed due to what Iran described as “events unfolding in Yemen”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran and Oman had jointly decided to pursue a responsible approach to managing the strategic waterway. The meeting, scheduled to be held in Oman, was expected to provide an opportunity to discuss the new arrangements.
Baghaei said Iran would not accept pressure or dictates from outside powers, stressing that no responsible country would agree to have its decisions imposed by external forces.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman and partly within their territorial waters, has effectively been blocked by Tehran amid the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.
Baghaei said Iran had “no relations whatsoever” with the developments in Yemen and maintained that Tehran did not interfere in the country's affairs. He added that Saudi Arabia had requested the postponement of the meeting.
Tensions involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen have escalated since July, when the Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, announced a naval blockade targeting their northwestern neighbour. The situation intensified last week after Houthi forces seized the port of Mocha, increasing their control over the approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that its forces had intercepted and destroyed an advanced MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a statement carried by semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said the drone was brought down using a new aerospace defence system.
Commenting on Sunday's attack on an Iranian commercial vessel, in which one person was killed, Baghaei said two Pakistani nationals working aboard the vessel were also injured.
He accused the United States and Israel of continuing to target security in the Gulf amid the escalating regional tensions.