Iran has criticized the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for presenting biased reports on the current shipping crisis, saying support for seafarers must not be “selective” and that the difficult situation of Iranian sailors should also be addressed.

The Iranian delegation to the 138th session of the IMO Council in London on Wednesday objected to the exclusion of factors threatening maritime security in the region from two reports presented by the organization’s secretary-general on the security of vital shipping routes and support for seafarers.

“We express our serious concern regarding the incomplete and unbalanced reporting on existing threats to shipping in the region. The credibility of this organization requires that all incidents and factors threatening maritime safety be examined objectively, consistently and without discrimination,” the delegation said.

It emphasized that comprehensive reports on the protection of vital shipping routes should not overlook the consequences of “illegal” maritime blockade by the US of Iranian ports and military attacks on vessels and critical safety infrastructure in Iran.

The Iranian delegation also drew the attention of the IMO Council and secretary general to the difficult circumstances facing Iranian seafarers near Sri Lanka, adding that the situation is a violation of their fundamental human rights and rights related to their welfare.

It called for immediate and non-discriminatory action to address the conditions of Iranian sailors.

Iran-flagged tankers have reportedly been loitering at anchorages across the Indo-Pacific rather than transiting back to Iranian ports because of the US blockade, with several loitering off Sri Lanka.

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The delegation further called on the IMO Council to emphasize the necessity of “transparent, comprehensive and non-discriminatory” reporting and ask the secretary general to include all factors threatening shipping, including documented cases presented by Iran, in future reports.

The delegation also urged swift and practical measures to support all seafarers affected by the crisis, particularly Iranian sailors, stressing that maritime safety and the protection of seafarers’ lives must be guaranteed on the basis of impartiality, fairness and equal treatment.

Iran has repeatedly emphasized that US-Israeli military aggression and Washington’s continued illegal naval blockade are the root causes of current insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, holding those responsible for the crisis accountable for disruptions to shipping, it said.

Since the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran on February 28, Tehran has imposed strict regulations on the Strait of Hormuz, requiring all vessels to coordinate with Iranian naval authorities and obtain permission before transiting.

On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose Article 5 places responsibility for reopening and managing the strait squarely in Iran’s hands.

However, the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the vital global energy chokepoint by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores. In July, the US conducted waves of deadly air raids on Iran and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation of the MoU.

The unlawful US measures prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.