Iran Insists It Has Full Control of Strait of Hormuz, Rejects Trump’s Threats

Iran insisted it has a right to full control of the Strait of Hormuz, brushing aside President Donald Trump’s threats to “complete the job” of the war he launched four months ago if Tehran did not relent on the waterway.

In Baghdad, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any attempt to block Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz will “increase tensions”.

Al Jazeera

Araghchi said bringing maritime traffic back to pre-war levels in Hormuz lies solely with Tehran, and he urged all parties to “adhere to the memorandum of understanding and not let it drift off course.”

The dispute is tied to an interim memorandum of understanding signed on June 17, with both sides blaming each other for violating its terms, including Article 5, which calls for safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Al Jazeera also described how Iran’s de facto blockade of the strait followed the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28 and triggered a global energy crisis.

Al Jazeera explained that Article 5 calls for safe passage and immediate recommencement of commercial traffic, and it quoted the clause that “Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days”.

The same Al Jazeera report said Article 5 also calls for the removal of “technical and military obstacles” and demining by Iran within 30 days, while it adds that Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define future administration and maritime services.

Al Jazeera

CNN Arabic described how Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that “If any ship attempts to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without our permission... or off the designated course, it will be responsible for any consequences,” and it said the Ever Lovely was struck by an Iranian drone.

CNN Arabic further reported that three distinct routes emerged in the Strait of Hormuz, including one southern route opposite Oman, a second route through the center used before the war, and a northern route under Iran’s control.

CNN Arabic said shipping companies fear U.S. sanctions if they comply with the Revolutionary Guard’s demands and use the Iranian route, while Dimitris Maniatis, CEO of Marisks, said the situation is “extremely dangerous.”

The BBC reported that Trump warned on Saturday that Iran “will disappear” if the United States finds itself “forced” to resume the war, after U.S. Central Command said it carried out airstrikes on “multiple sites” in Iran on June 27.

In response, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Baghdad that any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what the Islamic Republic of Iran is doing will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

SBS Australia said Trump posted on Truth Social that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” and it described how the clashes underlined the risks still facing one of the world’s most important sea lanes for oil and other commodities.

SBS Australia also reported that U.S. Central Command said it had struck 10 Iranian military targets in response to an Iranian drone attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker Kiku carrying some two million barrels of crude.

Al Jazeera said the control of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a cycle of tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and the United States, threatening to push their fragile memorandum of understanding to a breaking point, with hundreds of ships stranded after Tehran announced the blockade shortly after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began.