IMO to evacuate over 11,000 sailors stranded in Gulf amid US-Iran tensions

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced plans to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf, following a conflict involving the United States and Iran. The IMO's secretary-general, Arsenio Dominguez, stated that the operation would be conducted in coordination with Iran, Oman, the United States, other coastal states, and the maritime industry.

“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” Dominguez said.

The evacuation comes after an interim deal was signed last week to end the conflict, though details remain contested. The United States claims the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) includes provisions for inspections of Iran's nuclear programme by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). US President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran had agreed to “highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future.”

However, Iran has disputed this, stating that the IAEA would not be allowed to inspect nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year. A US official responded that Iran had agreed to “robust IAEA inspections of the remains of their nuclear weapons programme,” adding that the Iranian regime's statements were meant for domestic consumption. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, during a visit to Pakistan, reiterated that Iran would “never negotiate with anyone, under any circumstances, ever, about our defensive capabilities.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a tour of the Gulf, visiting the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain to discuss the deal with Tehran. Rubio warned against any attempts by Iran to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an international waterway where such charges are not allowed under international law. “I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. I think all the countries in this region would agree with us,” he said.