Iraq Participates in an Urgent Briefing of the International Maritime Organization on Developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Maritime Safety

Iraq took part in the urgent briefing convened by the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr Arsenio Dominguez, held at the Organisation’s headquarters on 10 April 2026, with the participation of Member States and a number of governmental and non-governmental organisations.

The briefing included a detailed presentation on developments in the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, within the mandate entrusted to the Organisation, and in coordination and consultation with the littoral States of the Arabian Gulf. Discussions focused on ways to safeguard the safety and lives of seafarers and to ensure the safe passage of vessels, in addition to mechanisms for the evacuation of seafarers stranded in the region.

The Secretary-General confirmed that consultations are ongoing with representatives of the concerned States in order to establish a joint framework that ensures the safe passage of vessels and facilitates evacuation operations. He also called on littoral States to continue their efforts in providing humanitarian support to seafarers, including the provision of fuel and essential supplies to vessels, pending the reopening of the Strait.

The Organisation announced its intention to implement a plan to evacuate approximately 20,000 seafarers from the Arabian Gulf region, using the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) adopted in the Strait of Hormuz, thereby contributing to the organisation of maritime traffic and the strengthening of maritime safety measures.

Iraq was represented at this briefing by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq to the International Maritime Organization, Maritime Attaché Captain Mazin Al-Kaabi, and First Secretary Alyaa Ihsan Al-Sayegh, responsible for the International Organisations and Multilateral Relations Portfolio in the Political Section of the Embassy.