Cairo: Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Monday stressed the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law, and called for de-escalation as Iran and the United States exchanged a fresh round of attacks.
The remarks were made during a phone conversation between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The two ministers stressed the need to ensure the safety and security of international shipping and warned that any disruption to maritime traffic would have negative repercussions for the global economy and energy security, Xinhua news agency reported.
They discussed the recent regional escalation, reiterating their condemnation of Iran’s attacks targeting Gulf Arab states and Jordan and calling for an immediate halt to all escalatory actions.
Meanwhile, Explosions were heard at noon on Monday around the port city of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, citing local sources.
The report said the explosion sounds came from regions away from the urban area and appeared to be centred on the western coast of Bandar Abbas.
The explosions could be linked to ongoing clashes occurring in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters, it added.
Authorities of Hormozgan province have announced that no casualties or damage to residential and commercial infrastructure were reported in the fresh US attacks against Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, according to Mehr.
The Bahrain Defence Force said on Monday that its air defence systems had intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks.
In a statement, the Bahrain Defence Force accused Iran of continuing what it described as a “systematic hostile approach” through missile and drone attacks against the kingdom.
(IANS)
