SAEDNEWS: The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman stressed that the Strait of Hormuz remains, and will continue to remain, under Iran’s full control. He blamed the United States for regional maritime insecurity and said Washington should also be held responsible for rising global fuel prices.
According to Saednews, Esmaeil Baghaei said the insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz stems from US actions, arguing that if the international community is concerned about rising fuel prices, it should hold Washington responsible.
Speaking in a televised interview on Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Iran closed the strategic waterway after what Tehran described as a new wave of unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against Iran on February 28.
Under a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding reached in June, Iran and the United States agreed to a 60-day period for reopening the strait. Tehran said it took steps to facilitate safe and lawful transit in accordance with the agreement, but later restored the closure after accusing Washington of violating its commitments.
Iran has made the reopening conditional on several requirements, including the full lifting of what it calls the illegal US naval and economic blockade, a lasting end to hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, and clarification of the situation surrounding the blockade of Yemen.
Baghaei stressed that the Strait of Hormuz had remained fully open before February 28, after which Iran took measures it said were necessary to protect its national security.
“Under these circumstances, we are entitled to take measures to protect the country’s security,” he said.
According to Baghaei, the waterway became “somewhat safer” after the Islamabad agreement. He said Iran fulfilled its commitments under the deal, while the United States violated its obligations 23 days later.
“Their pretexts for committing the violations had no basis,” Baghaei said.
