On July 23, according to TASS news agency, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that tensions in the Gulf region are continuing to escalate, increasing the risk of disruption of maritime activities in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
In a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ms. Zakharova said that the security situation in the region is developing in a bad direction as the parties involved continue to conduct airstrikes and retaliate against each other.
Unfortunately, tensions in the Persian Gulf region are still escalating. Conflicting parties are continuing to carry out attacks, causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure in Iran as well as some Arab countries," Zakharova stated in a statement.
According to a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, the current developments have increased the risk of affecting sea transport activities through the Straits of Hormuz and the Red Sea - two maritime routes that play a particularly important role in global energy trade and transportation.
Ms. Zakharova said that the current situation is creating more obstacles for diplomatic efforts to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.
According to the Russian side, new military developments are reducing the prospect of resuming negotiations based on the Memorandum of Understanding on Islamabad signed by the US and Iran on June 17.
Previously, the US and Iran had reached this memorandum of understanding to reduce tensions and create a framework for further negotiations. However, after fighting broke out again recently, the prospect of implementing commitments in this document is facing many challenges.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic transport route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Arab Sea, where about 20% of the world's traded oil and gas is transported in normal conditions. Meanwhile, the Red Sea is also an important link in the global supply chain through the route to the Suez Canal.
