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MoU Declared Suspended
Iran said it has suspended all commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying, "The US has violated and suspended all its commitments within the framework of the Islamabad MoU," as U.S. strikes continued into a seventh consecutive night of raids on targets across Iran.
Al Jazeera reported Iran’s Health Ministry said at least 50 people were killed and more than 500 injured in U.S. strikes since July 6, and it said the attacks left 10,000 people without water after a desalination plant was hit.
The same Al Jazeera report said Iran retaliated by launching another wave of drones and missiles at U.S.-allied Gulf states, while Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Tehran would inflict "unforgettable lessons" on the U.S. over continued attacks.
In a separate account, Middle East Eye said the 14-point MoU included provisions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the U.S. naval blockade, and begin a phased de-escalation after weeks of fighting, and it quoted Gharibabadi saying Tehran was "busy defending the country".
Middle East Eye also said Iran’s health ministry reported U.S. attacks since 6 July had killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500, while it described the conflict as intensifying as air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwaiti forces said they were intercepting incoming missiles and drones.
Khamenei Threatens Trump
Al Jazeera said Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement read out on state television warning that Tehran would inflict "unforgettable lessons" on the U.S. over its continued attacks, as the battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Khamenei attacking U.S. President Donald Trump in a written statement, saying, "The repeated violations by the Great Satan of the memorandum of understanding have once again proven to everyone how worthless and unreliable the signature of the President of the United States is," after U.S. and Iranian strikes continued on Saturday.
The Jerusalem Post said Khamenei’s statements came after two U.S. service members were killed in action on Friday, and it said four were injured during Iranian strikes on Friday in Jordan according to CENTCOM.
Al Jazeera reported that in the early hours of Saturday Kuwait announced the closure of its airspace and said two power and water desalination plants were hit by Iranian attacks, while it said several Kuwaiti firefighters were wounded while responding to a blaze started by the strikes.
In the same Al Jazeera account, it said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval forces targeted a U.S. military fuel pier at Kuwait’s al-Ahmadi port and a U.S. warplane assembly site at Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base, and it said the IRGC also said it attacked a U.S. base in Azraq in Jordan and destroyed two U.S. fighter jets.
Water, Shipping, and Fallout
Al Jazeera tied the immediate stakes to civilian services by reporting that a seawater pumping station and a power transformer at the Bunji desalination plant in Jask in southern Iran were "completely destroyed," depriving 20 villages of water, according to Hamzeh Pour of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company.
Middle East Eye said the 14-point MoU included provisions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade, and it described Iran’s suspension of commitments as Tehran no longer considering itself bound by the Pakistan-mediated agreement.
Al Jazeera said Iran insisted that under the interim peace deal it had the right to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and dictate which routes ships should take, while Trump said the strait must be open to all traffic and the U.S. Navy was again blockading Iranian vessels.
In the WANA News Agency account, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the memorandum has been suspended because "Washington failed to honor its commitments," and it said the agreement envisioned a 30-day period to restore normal shipping conditions and implement safe navigation mechanisms.
WANA News Agency also said Baghaei argued that the memorandum contained no provision allowing the United States to establish an independent shipping route or assume a separate management role in the strait, and it said Iran’s measures in the Strait of Hormuz were taken to safeguard maritime security and prevent the waterway from being used for military operations against the country.
