TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadeq has said that the existing “cruel and unilateral” sanctions against her country’s maritime transport harm regional and international cooperation on navigation.
Sadeq made the comment in Tehran during a meeting with Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez.
The Iranian minister said that her country has been pioneering in advancing IMO policies and plans aimed at promoting navigation safety and security.
The administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian is also working on developing regional cooperation with neighboring countries, however the cruel and unilateral sanctions against Iran’s maritime transport are harming regional and extra-regional cooperation on maritime issues and navigation, she explained.  
The IMO secretary general said on his part that sanctions are causing serious harm to cooperation on navigation safety and security, adding that the organization does not recognize sanctions against its member states.
Dominguez also said, considering the current conditions in West Asia, IMO supports any action aimed at promoting peace.