Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, has warned the United States that Tehran controls absolutely everything that happens in the Strait of Hormuz during the next 30 days of negotiations, as interpreted by the memorandum of understanding with Washington signed this month, and has accused the North American side of failing to comply with its first clause: pressuring Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanon.
Araqchi made these statements as soon as he arrived in Iraq, where he will spend the day of his official visit, in the midst of new crossroads with bombings with the United States and after an agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which has been repudiated by the Lebanese militia party Hezbollah, a strategic ally of Tehran, believing that it contravenes the document signed by Iran and the United States.
“Unfortunately, the Zionist entity continues its air strikes in Lebanon. The United States must live up to its responsibility and force Israel to end its attacks and withdraw from the areas it occupies in Lebanon, because it is the first clause of the memorandum.”
What exactly does the document require?
The first point of the document not only demands the cessation of Israeli bombing, but also forces the parties to find a solution for Israel to withdraw from the country. The agreement signed on Friday between Lebanon and Israel, however, only speaks of a “gradual withdrawal” as long as the hypothetical disarmament of Hezbollah is verified, something that the armed group has no intention of doing, understanding that it is an Israeli ploy to leave the country defenseless.
Araqchi has also advised the United States that “the Strait of Hormuz will remain under Iran’s full supervision and management for the next 30 days, and once all obstacles are removed, the waterway’s full capacity will be restored.” Responsibility for the strait, he added, falls on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“There is no other party or State involved. This is totally clear in the memorandum of understanding, and any intervention or unilateral action will aggravate the situation and delay the reopening of the strait,” he warned.
US attacks Iranian bases
These statements come after the United States reported that its air force attacked facilities in Iran, a day after a ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, an extreme that Washington has attributed to Tehran, accusing the Asian country of having violated the pre-agreement reached last week.
“The forces of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out attacks against Iran on June 26, as a forceful response to the attack carried out yesterday against a merchant ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” he noted on his social networks.
