Tehran [Iran], August 17 (ANI): Iran on Monday said it already has laws governing its "sovereign rights" over the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, as tensions continue to escalate over the control and navigation through the strategic waterway.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei made the remarks during a press briefing while discussing the role of the Iranian Parliament in legislative processes related to the country's sovereign rights.
Baghaei said the Foreign Ministry respected decisions and procedures initiated and discussed by the Parliament and was obligated under the Constitution to provide the necessary cooperation in legislative matters.
"We respect the decisions and processes that begin, continue, and are discussed in the esteemed Islamic Consultative Assembly. The position of the Assembly in our constitution is clear, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers itself obligated to provide all necessary cooperation with the Assembly in the processes related to legislation," Baghaei said.
He said the Foreign Ministry would provide its expert assessment whenever required and had already communicated its views on the plan under discussion.
"Wherever necessary, we announce our expert views and viewpoints. We also announced our viewpoints on this plan," he added.
Addressing issues concerning Iran's sovereign rights in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, Baghaei said Tehran already had laws governing the matter and that the Foreign Ministry had consistently taken existing legislation and current developments into account while formulating its position.
"Regarding the issues related to Iran's sovereign rights in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman, we already have laws, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always taken into account both existing laws and current developments in the views it has put forward. We will definitely provide the necessary cooperation along the way, and wherever the honorable members of the parliament consider it necessary and ask for our opinion, we will definitely present our views," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
The remarks come amid a broader crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy shipments, with Iran maintaining its position on its rights concerning the strategic passage.
Baghaei's comments come days after US President Donald Trump on Friday said that he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz "a territory of the United States" after the war with Iran.
Addressing a Republican rally in Long Island, Trump said, "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated -- pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States." (ANI)
Iran says existing laws protect Tehran's "sovereign rights" over Persian Gulf, Hormuz amid strait control crisis
