London:The Islamic Republic of Iran has expressed strong disapproval of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) approach to reporting on the shipping crisis, emphasizing that the protection of seafarers should be non-discriminatory. Iran highlighted the challenging conditions faced by its seafarers and called for these issues to be addressed.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the Iranian delegation at the 138th session of the IMO Council in London criticized the organization's reports as incomplete and biased. They called for a balanced assessment of maritime security threats and emphasized that the reports should not ignore the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and military attacks on vessels and maritime safety infrastructure.

The delegation stressed the need for future IMO reports to accurately reflect Iran's legal positions, supported by documents provided to the Council members. They also highlighted the necessity for equal treatment of all seafarers, regardless of nationality or political differences, and raised concerns about the situation of Iranian seafarers near Sri Lanka, advocating for urgent, non-discriminatory action.

Furthermore, the Iranian delegation protested against repeated allegations in the IMO Secretary-General's report, rejecting the May resolution by the Maritime Safety Committee as politically and legally unfounded. They called for transparent and impartial reporting on maritime threats and urged for the protection of affected seafarers, particularly Iranians, attributing the crisis to U.S. and Israeli military actions and the naval blockade of Iran.

The 138th session of the IMO Council, which is being held in person at the IMO Headquarters with options for remote participation, runs from Monday, November 2, to Friday, November 6.