Iran says southern Hormuz route "unsafe"

LONDON, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Embassy in Britain said Monday that the southern shipping route near Omani waters, where the U.S. military provides navigational assistance, is "unsafe, unreliable, and prone to accidents."

The embassy, whose ambassador also serves as Iran's permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said in a social media post that Iran had established a temporary safe and secure maritime corridor in compliance with the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.

According to the embassy, this corridor is free of technical and military barriers and has been notified to the IMO.

The embassy accused the United States of violating the MoU and pushing vessels toward "a dangerous southern parallel route."

Following the signing of an MoU in June, two navigation routes have emerged in the Strait of Hormuz: a northern route under Iranian control and a southern route closer to Omani waters, where the U.S. military provides navigational assistance to commercial vessels.

The embassy also said U.S. military actions, including attacks on Iran's port and tower infrastructure, have turned the Strait of Hormuz into "a tense, high-risk zone for maritime traffic."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed until further notice and "until the end of U.S. interference in this region." Enditem