"We have decided to work jointly, together with our partners, on mine clearance in the strait to secure maritime routes and guarantee free and unconditional passage through the Strait of Hormuz," French President Emmanuel Macron said.
PARIS, June 29 (Xinhua) -- France and Oman have agreed to work jointly with partners to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz to secure maritime routes, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.
Macron made the remarks on social media platform X after holding talks with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, who is on his first official visit to France.
"We have decided to work jointly, together with our partners, on mine clearance in the strait to secure maritime routes and guarantee free and unconditional passage through the Strait of Hormuz," Macron said.
The announcement came amid heightened maritime security concerns through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday last week, the U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) raised the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz from moderate to substantial.
The advisory was issued by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). JMIC is a multinational naval advisory body, and UKMTO serves as one of its core information-sharing partners.
The notice also warned mariners of the presence of mines in the area and said naval forces are expected to operate there as mine-clearing activities continue.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had gradually resumed after the United States and Iran recently reached a memorandum of understanding, prompting JMIC on June 18 to lower the maritime threat level in nearby waters to moderate.
However, a container ship and an oil tanker were attacked in nearby waters on Thursday and Saturday last week, respectively.
The U.S. Central Command said last Friday that U.S. forces had struck Iranian targets in response to an attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.■
