The United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia have issued a joint statement urging Iran to stop conducting actions that threaten regional stability and instead by engaging in diplomatic solutions, the US Department of State said in press release on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2019) The United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia have issued a joint statement urging Iran to stop conducting actions that threaten regional stability and instead by engaging in diplomatic solutions, the US Department of State said in press release on Monday."We call on Iran to halt any further actions which threaten regional stability, and urge diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions," the release said.
The State Department also said the joint statement had noted that ships and their crews must be allowed to pass international waters safely.
On June 13, two oil tankers, Norway's Front Altair and Japan's Kokuka Courageous, were hit by explosions of undetermined origin in the Gulf of Oman. Front Altair crew was evacuated to Iran, while people from Kokuka Courageous had been picked up by a US battleship.
Iran announced on Thursday that it downed a US surveillance drone after it violated the country's airspace over the waters of its Hormozgan province. The US Central Command said that the drone was shot down while operating over international waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said the United States was "cocked and loaded" for retaliatory strikes on Iran, but called off the strikes for being disproportionate to Iran's action in downing the drone.
Earlier on Monday, the United States imposed a new round of sanctions against Iran. Tensions between the United States and Iran have increased since Washington pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement and imposed sanctions against Tehran.
