Amid escalating regional tensions, Iran’s Parliament Speaker and senior negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has strongly criticised the United States, accusing Washington of violating multiple commitments under a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
In a post on X, Ghalibaf listed what he described as several “major violations” by the US administration, alleging that they reflected a breakdown in diplomatic commitments between the two countries.
According to Ghalibaf, the alleged violations include “violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait”, “persistent threats of further strikes”, “reinstating oil sanctions”, “attacks on southern Iran”, and “continued Zionist aggression” in Lebanon.
Issuing a warning against what he described as Washington’s hardline approach, Ghalibaf said Iran would not yield to military or economic pressure.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” he wrote on X.
The remarks came after a sharp escalation in tensions following US military action against Iranian targets after fresh maritime incidents.
Providing details of the operation, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out strikes on July 7 targeting more than 80 military sites in Iran using precision-guided munitions.
According to US defence officials, the operation focused on degrading Iran’s maritime military capabilities. The targets reportedly included command-and-control facilities, air defence systems, coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile sites and more than 60 boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
US officials said the objective of the operation was to reduce Iran’s ability to carry out further attacks that could disrupt commercial shipping in the region.
CENTCOM said the military response followed alleged attacks on three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels were identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said, “The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
According to the US military, the operation marked the first direct American military action against Iran since late June, when a brief exchange of strikes between the two countries ended with a temporary ceasefire under a bilateral MoU.
Earlier, the Donald Trump administration also revoked a temporary waiver on oil sanctions that had allowed limited Iranian energy exports under the ceasefire arrangement. The waiver, introduced in late June, had been scheduled to remain in effect until August 21.
The revocation is expected to increase economic pressure on Iran as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to rise. (ANI)
