Bahrain pledges support for Strait of Hormuz safety effortspublished at 23:12 GMT 20 March
Bahrain is joining the UK and other nations in a pledge to support safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports from the state-run Bahrain News Agency.
“We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” the joint statement says.
Bahrain joins the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Romania and Lithuania.
A joint statement was first published on Thursday, and several countries have since joined – including Bahrain.
They urge Iran to “cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block” the Strait of Hormuz, and expressed a “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait”.
It is not yet clear what the efforts to secure the vital shipping lane would entail, or what the timeline would be.
