live U.S.-Iran standoff continues as Hormuz shipping and diplomacy remain uncertain
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to res...
The Interior Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) met in Tehran on Tuesday to promote cooperation in cybersecurity and fight against smuggling and cross-border trafficking.
Oman and Iraq were invited to take part in the ECO Summit as observers while the agenda under the theme "Regional Solidarity, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development" was discussed.
President Masoud Pezeshkian who gave the opening remarks at the Fourth Conference of Interior Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) emphasised the importance of regional cooperation.
“Regional economic collaboration requires robust, predictable, stable and resilient joint platforms which can be consolidated by the interior ministries, he said stressing the role of interior ministries in multilateral and regional cooperation.
“The ECO region needs proper infrastructure more than ever,” Pezeshkian told the interior ministers’ meeting which convened for the first time after a 15-year recess.
The ECO dates back to the Cold War alliance the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) funded in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
In 1964, it developed to the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) as a multi-governmental organization founded by Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye which was renamed ECO.
Established in 1985 in Tehran by Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye, ECO was expanded in 1992 after the fall of the East Bloc to accommodate Afghanistan and the former Soviet republics.
These include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to promote cooperation for development among the member states.
On Monday, the deputy interior ministers prepared the draft resolutions for approval by the Ministers’ conference ranging from cybersecurity and the fight against smuggling and drugs to the use of artificial intelligence in promoting cooperation among the member states.
Omani Interior Minister Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi who is visiting Tehran to take part in the ECO conference met his Iranian counterpart, secretary of Supreme National Security Council, and President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday.
They reviewed expansion of bilateral ties and discussed regional, according to local news media quoting official sources.
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
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