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Khamenei’s retaliation threat
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei threatened retaliation against the United States after the US and Iran continued strikes on Saturday, accusing President Donald Trump of having a “worthless and unreliable” signature.
“Iran’s supreme leader has warned that the United States will suffer “unforgettable lessons” at the hands of Tehran and its regional allies, accusing the US of repeatedly violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries”
In a statement, Khamenei wrote, “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,” and warned that the American enemy should know the “Axis of Resistance” has “unforgettable lessons in store for it.”
The escalation followed CENTCOM reporting that two US service members were killed in action on Friday, with one still missing in action and four injured during Iranian strikes on Friday in Jordan.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabad announced later on Saturday that Iran was suspending its commitments to the Memorandum of Understanding between it and the United States, as reported by the semi-official Fars news outlet.
The US and Iran have launched days of strikes against each other over the past week, with US airstrikes early on Saturday killing three people and wounding eight others in Iran’s Hormozgan province, according to Iranian state TV.
MoU collapse and regional
The CBC reported that the statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei was read out on state television after the United States and Iran again exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets, and it said the comments came hours after a negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed about a month ago.
The Hill also described Khamenei’s language on Saturday, quoting him warning of further Iranian retaliation and calling Trump’s signature “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility.”
CENTCOM said the US announced the first US troop deaths due to direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, stating that two service members were killed and another was missing in an attack on a base in Jordan, and it added that four other service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged.
In Kuwait, the CBC said a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit, and it reported that Kuwait’s authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation declined to provide locations.
The BBC said the written message attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei accused the United States of repeatedly violating the understandings reached between Tehran and Washington, and warned that the US president’s signature was “worthless and invalid.”
What’s at stake next
The dispute over the MoU and the widening strikes are tied to the Strait of Hormuz, with the CBC saying the battle over the waterway has intensified and that the widening strikes threatened civilians and services to them, including desalination plants for drinking water.
“A written message attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, accuses U”
The BBC reported that the written message appeared as renewed tensions began with the IRGC’s announcement of the Strait of Hormuz closure and attacks on merchant ships, now in its eighth day, and it said both sides intensified attacks and expanded targets in recent days.
The CBC said the US Central Command reported its seventh straight night of strikes hit “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities,” and it described the conflict as increasingly focused on infrastructure and military targets.
DW quoted the GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi accusing Iran of war crimes for targeting Kuwaiti infrastructure sites, saying, “Iran's actions constitute a highly dangerous escalation, a grave violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as war crimes requiring international accountability and prosecution.”
In parallel, the Hill reported that Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran suspended its commitments under the 60-day ceasefire agreement due to “aggressive actions” by the US, and it quoted him saying, “The United States has effectively trampled all of its commitments and suspended them.”
