Iran vows full control of Hormuz

Iran formally withdrew from its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, accusing Washington of violating and ultimately destroying last month’s truce agreement, as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz pushed the two sides closer to renewed conflict.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran no longer considers itself bound by parts of the agreement reached to halt hostilities, alleging that the US had repeatedly breached its commitments and effectively ended the deal by reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The move came hours after the US military restored a blockade on Iranian ports, citing Tehran’s attacks on vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade marked a major escalation in a conflict centred on one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, through which nearly a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies pass during peacetime.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran would exercise “full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, no matter the costs". Gharibabadi said that although Oman normally shares control of the strategic waterway, “for national security reasons Iran must control all of the Strait" during wartime. The Iranian official also appeared to shut the door on diplomacy, declaring that Iran would “never request negotiations with the United States".