🔱 HORMUZ DISPUTE, CEASEFIRE COLLAPSE, AND REGIONAL DIPLOMACY
🔸 Iran says Hormuz will remain closed until U.S. interference ends: The IRGC asserted the Strait of Hormuz falls under Iranian sovereignty and said commercial shipping would resume only after the United States ends what Tehran describes as interference and respects the sovereignty of regional coastal states.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei accused Washington of violating the Memorandum of Understanding governing the Strait.
Baghaei claimed Iran "has never been the first to violate its commitments" and said Tehran entered negotiations seriously and implemented agreements in good faith.
He alleged the United States violated the agreement before the implementation period outlined in Article 5 had begun and immediately began seeking pretexts.
Baghaei said the Memorandum was drafted with "absolute clarity" despite Iran's "absolute and justified suspicions" of Washington. He urged observers to examine Article 5 in both Persian and English, arguing it clearly preserves Iran's right to protect its security and national interests.
He said the provision reflected Iran's experience during the "imposed war" and argued that, as the coastal state with the longest shoreline along the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, Iran has both the right and duty to safeguard its security. He further claimed the United States has already distorted multiple provisions of the fourteen-article Memorandum.
📈 Oil prices rise as the interim ceasefire collapses: The United States and Iran have exchanged heavy missile and drone attacks after Tehran launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military facilities across several Gulf states and formally declared the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Brent crude rose 4.3% to $79.31 per barrel, according to Reuters.
The Iranian attacks followed a reported wave of more than 140 U.S. precision strikes. The renewed fighting has effectively ended the fragile interim ceasefire reached last month. President Donald Trump declared the truce over.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the era of "one-sided deals" is over and warned continued U.S. interference would have broader consequences for the global oil and gas sector.
⚠️ Additional regional developments: The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency claimed navigational data showed Saudi Arabia and Qatar assisted U.S. military operations while publicly condemning Iran's retaliation. The allegation has not been independently verified.
Oman's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador and delivered a formal protest after Iranian drones targeted sites in Musandam and Al Wusta.
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