kayhan.ir

News ID: 26294
Publish Date : 03 May 2016 - 21:53

Iran’s Naval Drills and Law of Sea Treaty


 
By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
 
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is right to say the Persian Gulf coast and much of the coasts of the Sea of Oman belong to the Iranian nation, and that Iran has to be present in this region, stage naval maneuvers, and show off its power.
In his words, "The Persian Gulf is the Iranian nation’s home and the Persian Gulf and a large section of the Sea of Oman belong to this powerful nation; therefore, we should be present in the region, hold drills and display our power. It is the Americans who should explain why they have come from that side of the world and stage drills in here. What are you doing here? Go back to the Bay of Pigs. Go and hold exercises there. What are you doing in the Persian Gulf? The Persian Gulf is our home.”
Regardless, the Law of the Sea Treaty says activities pursuant to self-defense are consistent with the United Nations’ 1982 Convention.
It is within the framework of this particular Convention that Iran as a signatory continues to stage naval drills throughout the Persian Gulf region. After all, the Convention requires parties to the Treaty to adopt regulations and laws to control pollution of the marine environment and security. It also says ships flying the flag of any sovereign state shall not suffer interference from other states.
The problem is that the United States hasn’t ratified the Convention. For the same reason, it continues to challenge, and even threaten with sanctions, Iran’s territorial rights in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, including its annual naval maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz. This is of course unlawful.
This is while on several occasions, the armed forces of the United States have conducted operations in the Persian Gulf in collaboration with Arab littoral states specifically to challenge Iran’s national security. Throughout the years, US forces have also been performing "Freedom of Navigation” operations in the Strait of Hormuz with little respect to Iran’s territorial integrity.
Little wonder Ayatollah Khamanei says the US Navy’s aggressive presence in the Persian Gulf is counterproductive, indeed an infringement of Iran’s rights. It is what it is: Counterproductive.
Quite the opposite, under the United Nations’ 1982 Convention, Iran is allowed to exercise sovereignty over its territorial waters, stage naval drills for self-defense and security, and regulate navigational and other aspects of passage through the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman.
Moreover, Iran has every right to powerfully continue its military drills in the region irrespective of Washington opposition and threats, including threat of sanctions.