Iran urges US to honor MoU amid escalating Gulf tensions

Iran's army has called on the United States to honor a memorandum of understanding signed on June 16, as military tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz. Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia told Iran's state broadcaster IRIB that US actions to establish an "illegal route" in the strategic waterway have created regional insecurity.

Akraminia asserted that Iran's armed forces would "firmly" defend the rights of the Iranian people in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the military is continuously updating its "bank of targets." These remarks follow a series of missile and drone attacks launched by Iran targeting US military bases and facilities in several Gulf states. The United States responded with a third round of strikes against Iranian radar, missile, and drone sites across southern Iran.

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US efforts to establish what he described as an "illegal route" through the strategic waterway had created insecurity in the region.

The US has stated its military operations were a response to Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington also reported that Iran had announced the closure of the strategic waterway. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated that one sailor remained missing after attacks on commercial vessels.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a container ship sustained damage to its stern in an incident approximately nine nautical miles east of Oman, which sparked a fire onboard. UKMTO stated that military authorities were investigating the incident. Earlier reports indicated the vessel's crew had abandoned ship and evacuated into a lifeboat. These developments highlight growing security concerns in the Gulf amid intensifying military exchanges between Iran and the United States.

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Iran's armed forces would "firmly" defend the rights of the Iranian people in the Strait of Hormuz and added that the military was continuously updating its "bank of targets."