Iran Threatens Offensive in Strait of Hormuz if Diplomacy with U.S. Fails

PUKMEDIA

The Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has decided to shift its policy from a defensive posture to a “fully offensive” approach as efforts to reach a permanent end to its war with the United States remain deadlocked, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.

Progress towards peace talks and the resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has stalled, with no indication that the warring sides are moving towards ending the conflict, which the United States and Israel launched on 28 February.

"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make ⁠decisions and take action on difficult decisions," the Iranian official said, adding that Tehran would conduct a "timely and precise" military attack to break the U.S. naval blockade if diplomacy failed.

Monday marked the day by which Iran and the United States were expected to reach a final deal under a memorandum of understanding agreed in June and aimed at ending the war.

Signed on 17 June, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) established a 60-day timeframe, extendable by mutual consent, for Washington and Tehran to reach an agreement addressing broader issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

The MoU, which called for the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, quickly unravelled following a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran argued that Article 5 of the agreement granted it the right to manage the strategic waterway, while Washington rejected that interpretation. Hostilities subsequently resumed after Tehran began firing on vessels it said were attempting to navigate the Strait along an unauthorised route.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on 7 July that the agreement was “over”. Tehran has repeatedly accused Washington of violating its commitments under the agreement.

"Within the short period of a few weeks set ⁠by Iran, all the agreement's provisions must be implemented by the U.S. This is a precondition for further negotiations with the U.S.," the Iranian official told Reuters, adding that mediators would share Tehran's deadline with Washington and regional states.

Trump warned Americans in a speech at a rally on Friday to prepare for continued high fuel prices as a result of the war, while also saying that "after we finish defeating Iran ... pretty soon I'll be declaring the ⁠Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States".

Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon", repeating one of his stated rationales for the war.

Source: Reuters



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