Iran rejects UNCLOS, warns US over blockade

Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations sent a letter to Secretary-General António Guterres rejecting what Tehran calls American 'maritime piracy' against its ships. The envoy stated that Iran is not a party to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is not bound by its provisions. As the main coastal state of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran asserted its legal right to take necessary measures to ensure navigation safety. The letter calls on the Security Council to demand that Washington immediately release detained Iranian vessels and holds the US responsible for any violations of maritime transport in the Persian Gulf.