New tension was sparked today in the Sea Strait of Hormuz with Iran warning that unless the US fleet withdraws, the passage will remain closed for an unspecified time.
Earlier today Iranian fire fell on a British ship attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. “We continue to talk to Iran. They can’t blackmail us. Everything they do is to buy time,” US President Donald Trump responded at a press conference. “We changed the way we dealt with Iran after 47 years,” Donald Trump reiterated. All this as the ceasefire expires next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that “the aircraft carrier ‘USS Gerald R. Ford’ and its accompanying strike group returned to the Middle East after leaving the region for maintenance and is currently operating in the Red Sea.”
Meanwhile, Britain’s maritime safety agency UKMTO said today it had received a report of “a tanker fired upon by two warships affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, 20 nautical miles north-east of Oman”. According to the UKMTO, “the captain of the tanker reported that the two gunboats opened fire without issuing a radio warning“. “The ship and its crew are safe,” the ship’s captain assured.
What Iranians say to Trump
Iran is taking a tough stance, pushing for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed indefinitely. “The management of the Strait of Hormuz is in Iran’s hands, either they will grant us our right at the negotiating table or we will assert it on the battlefield,” Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref warned, confirming that Iran has unilaterally closed the Strait of Hormuz.
And Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Said Hatibzadeh at a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkey said: “The US cannot impose its will to put Iran under siege while it is making good faith efforts to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” “Trump talks too much and makes contradictory statements in his speeches,” he added. He even warned the US that: “If we return to war, we will respond with all our might.”
According to Saeed Khatibzadeh, no date has been set for new talks between Iran and the US “We cannot set a date as long as they do not listen to us about the framework,” Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed. “We do not wish to engage in any negotiation or meeting that is doomed to fail and that could be used as a pretext for a new escalation,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister made clear.
What the Revolutionary Guards say
A tough message from the Revolutionary Guards, who accused the US of “once again violating agreements.” It should be noted that the ceasefire expires next Wednesday. “Until the United States fully lifts the restrictions on the free movement of ships to and from Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under strict control and will remain closed as before until the siege imposed by the United States of America is lifted,” the Revolutionary Guards stressed.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s message
This was preceded by a text message via telegram from Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. “The brave navy is ready to make the enemy taste the bitterness of new defeats,” wrote Mojtaba Khamenei His message was posted shortly after Tehran’s decision to re-close the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockade.
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