BREAKING: The United States affirms that its forces are “prepared and positioned” to defend the Strait of Hormuz | International
Global Update:
Global attention remains focused on this evolving story as officials and analysts assess the broader implications.
Iran maintains that the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, assures that that sea route remains open to commercial traffic. The status of this strategic bottleneck has already unleashed three increasingly intense waves of exchange of fire between the two countries in recent days, and has become the main point of friction between the two adversaries, far above the Iranian nuclear program that the Republican had presented as a reason for going to war in February. The escalation, verbal and military, puts a conflict that is, theoretically, under a ceasefire, once again facing the abyss. This Sunday, US troops launched a new barrage of bombings in response to Iranian statements. And its commanders have assured that their forces are “positioned and prepared” to defend Hormuz. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an organization established in May to manage maritime traffic and controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, warned that transit through Hormuz has been suspended as a result of “illegal movements” by the United States and that crossing requests will not be processed until “calm and stability are restored.” In an interview with NBC, Trump insisted, however, that the strait, key to global trade, remains open to merchant ship traffic. “Yes, it’s open. Last night we bombed them,” he said. According to the president, the Iranians and the United States reached an agreement on Saturday. “For us it was perfect. Nothing nuclear, nothing of that or that, nothing. They gave in on everything. And after that, they left the room and in less than an hour they were launching a drone against a ship,” he added. The Central Command, responsible for United States military operations in the Middle East, has also assured that the sea route is open “for all ships” that want to cross it legally. “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic flows,” the command indicated in a statement distributed on social networks. And he has stressed that US forces are “positioned and prepared” to defend freedom of navigation in the area. Hours earlier, the Central Command had announced that in the wave of attacks on Saturday it had hit 140 targets in Iranian territory, including communications centers, missile sites and ammunition warehouses. In total, according to its statement, US forces have bombed more than 300 targets in Iranian territory this week. And this Sunday, according to the Iranian media, the American attacks resumed, hitting the port of Bandar Abbas and the island of Qeshm. In a statement, the Revolutionary Guard accused the United States of “imposing its will” regarding the negotiations on Hormuz and the Omani route, which it considers “illegal.” He stressed that the US attacks along the country’s southern coast – which have caused a score of deaths and more than a hundred injured since Tuesday – have received “an overwhelming response” and warned that, if they continue, the response “will be harsher.” social network X. “This strategic step [Ormuz] “It is more important than dozens of atomic bombs, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will protect it,” said Mohsen Rezai, advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in statements reported by the ISNA agency. In part, the tension between the two sides arises from two different ways of interpreting the succinct memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 and by which the United States and Iran committed to negotiating a definitive peace agreement for 60 days, which includes the future of the Strait and the Iranian nuclear program. The 14-point document stipulates that during the negotiating process Iran will keep Hormuz open without any type of toll, although it leaves the door open to what may happen later. Washington considers that the opening must be total and unconditional, which the agreement formalizes its de facto control over the maritime passage. Reduced traffic Since the military confrontation intensified at the beginning of the week, traffic in the strait has been significantly reduced, especially on the southern route, through Omani waters. and with American protection. If from the signing of the agreement until July 5 an average of a dozen ships a day had chosen this corridor off the northern route, controlled by Iran, or the central corridor, used before the war but now littered with naval mines, in recent days only one ship a day has dared to use it. Iranian harassment apparently tries to force freighters to resort to the northern route that Tehran controls, to try to impose some type of fee for crossings. The southern route is the one chosen by the Cypriot-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy attacked by Iran on the night of Saturday to Sunday just over four nautical miles from Cape Musandam (Oman), which caused a fire on the deck and its crew to be rescued. One of the sailors, an Indian national, was still missing as night fell from Sunday to Monday, which has led to a harsh protest from New Delhi against the attack. second ship to use this route, which he considers a violation of the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 (according to Tehran’s interpretation, ships can only circulate through the strait under Iranian approval and supervision). To clarify these points, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, had traveled to Muscat (Oman) on Saturday, in a meeting in which Qatari envoys also participated. It is the meeting in which, according to Trump, the Islamic Republic had committed to an agreement. in which he gave up “everything.” A senior American official had told a group of journalists on Friday, on condition of anonymity, that in contacts through mediators Iran had said that the attacks on merchant ships had been the work of a faction within the regime that opposes peace with the United States and wants to boycott the memorandum of understanding. launched several rounds of missiles and drones against targets linked to the United States in neighboring countries, which it accuses of supporting the North American offensive. Demonstration that part of the Iranian regime – to begin with, the Revolutionary Guard – completely rejects any diplomatic solution and is willing to burn all bridges have been precisely the attacks against Oman and Qatar, two of the main mediators in the conflict. In fact, until now, Iran had denied responsibility for at least three attacks suffered by Oman, but this Sunday the Iranian authorities assumed responsibility. responsibility for having attacked a US naval base in the country that the day before had hosted its Foreign Minister. The Omani Government has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Muscat to officially protest the attack. In Qatar, several ballistic missiles were launched against the Al Udeid air base, used by the US, although the Qatari Ministry of Defense assured that its air defenses had “intercepted” the projectiles. The remains of the attack, however, injured three people, including one. child, who have been hospitalized. There were also missiles launched against the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain – where alarm sirens sounded up to three times throughout Sunday morning -, Jordan and Kuwait. “The continuation of the attacks constitutes a dangerous escalation that will exacerbate tension and instability in the region, and undermine diplomatic efforts to resolve these crises by peaceful means,” denounced the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry in a statement. They have also condemned the Iranian response.
What Happens Next:
Officials and international observers are expected to continue monitoring the story closely over the coming days.
Political and economic analysts are paying close attention to the potential consequences of these events.
Our editorial team will continue tracking this story as new reports become available.
Source: This article was originally published by Internacional en EL PAÍS and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.