MOSCOW, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Thursday said that the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz violates the UN Charter and international law and only serves to escalate tensions.
Speaking at a press briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said measures such as intercepting vessels or blocking Iranian ports "must be viewed as strictly unilateral and illegal," both under the UN Charter and the international maritime law.
"This is yet another arbitrary interpretation by Washington of the international legal framework, which only contributes to the further escalation of the conflict and, naturally, leads to corresponding economic consequences," she said.
The spokesperson stressed that according to the UN Charter, the imposition of a naval blockade is only possible by decision of the UN Security Council as one of the collective measures to restore and maintain international peace and security. ■