Iran Press/ Iran news: All members of International Maritime Organization (IMO) will gather in the city of London on Thursday to review Iran's protest document against US sanction for breaching international maritime laws.
Earlier, Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) in a statement condemned the US’s sanctions against Iran’s maritime transportation and activities and said America's sanctions contravene the laws and regulations of IMO, Iran Press reported.
The PMO’s statement said that a country’s maritime fleet’s safety, security, technical and quality status is evaluated based on the international records and inspection reports not the claims of a country; and the US’s approach against Iran’s maritime sector goes against the spirit of IMO.
In the statement, PMO, as the competent maritime administration and port authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran, clarifies the status and stance of the Iranian maritime sector in guaranteeing maritime safety and security, and protecting the marine environment.
The Iranian fleet is ranked 21st among national fleets, with over 700 vessels operating in the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Their operation is closely scrutinized by the Iranian maritime administration (PMO), as well as international classification societies.
Strict laws and national legislation has been approved and implemented on the Iranian port and maritime sector, especially cargo ships and oil tankers. These regulations cover all Iranian ships, including the non-convention sized vessels, as well as exempt areas such as the Caspian Sea that are not covered by the international conventions. Therefore, any substandard vessel would be dealt with through the Iranian legislation, even before setting sail toward international waters.
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On October 3, the International Court of Justice ordered the United States to lift sanctions on Iran that affect imports of humanitarian goods and products and services linked to the safety of civil aviation.
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Iran is fully aligned with the global maritime community and IMO in promoting shipping and maritime activities.
Against the global trend of cooperation and interaction, the United States has levied heavy and unfair sanctions, aiming at crippling the Iranian shipping industry. Americans have even attempted to contaminate the international atmosphere against the Iranian maritime activities, by falsely accusing the Iranian fleet of being substandard in safety and environmental terms. Such claims have been automatically rejected by the excellent performance records of Iranian vessels as inspected and observed in different ports around the world.
Considering the above, the Ports and Maritime Organization would like to stress that 1) the United States is behaving against the IMO’s spirit and orientation for promoting international shipping through cooperation; and 2) the quality and safety performance of a national fleet is assessed and verified by international records of Port state control (PSC) inspections, maritime accidents and audits, not by simple verbal allegations for or against them.
Humiliated after the defeat at the International Court of Justice, and in a knee-jerk reaction, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would be scrapping the 1955 treaty.
The International Court of Justice is the main judicial body of the United Nations that settles the disputes between member states according to the international law and gives advisory information on queries referred to it from UN and specialized agencies.
May 8 was when the US unilaterally withdrew from a multilateral deal with Iran and imposed previous as well as new sanctions on the country.
Under the the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
US president Donald Trump’s decision to scrap the nuclear deal was sharply criticised by other signatories of the deal, who have pledged to uphold their side of the agreement. 101/201
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