Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, reacted to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Paris’s readiness to participate in demining the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that, under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the demining of this waterway will be carried out “solely by Iran.”
In a post on X on Monday, June 29, Gharibabadi wrote: “According to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, demining is conducted solely by Iran and no other country.”
Referring to the situation as “sensitive and complex,” he addressed France, adding: “We strongly advise France not to complicate it further with its provocations.”
The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister’s remarks came in response to comments by Emmanuel Macron, who, following a meeting with Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq, the Sultan of Oman, announced a Franco-Omani agreement to cooperate on reducing Middle East tensions.
Macron had written on X that France and Oman had decided to cooperate, in coordination with their partners, on demining the Strait of Hormuz to secure maritime routes and guarantee unrestricted passage through the waterway.
