Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said that the United States broke the ceasefire with overnight strikes in the country’s Hormozgan province which is close to the Strait of Hormuz and that Tehran will respond and not hesitate in defending itself.
The development comes after US military carried out strikes on Tuesday early morning (IST) in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, which is reportedly described as defensive action carried out by Washington.
In a statement, Iran’s foreign ministry said, “The United States committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region in the past 48 hours…Iran holds the US regime responsible for all the consequences resulting from these aggressive and unjustified actions.”
Explosions reported near strategic waterway
The Iranian media reported sounds of explosion near the Strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday and stated the strikes by Washington as “gross violation” of a nearly seven weeks ceasefire which had halted the fighting in West Asia.
Both the sides had earlier suggested that talks over a memorandum of understanding which could halt the conflict and restart the shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had been progressing, and at the same time giving negotiators two months time to discuss critical issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme and the fate of highly enriched uranium, Reuters reported.
US diplomatic response and maritime access
Following US military’s strikes in Iran’s southern region, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a visit to India, was asked about the attacks and he said that the Strait of Hormuz had to be open “one way or the other.”
Since the war broke out in the region, only a few dozen vessels have passed the critical waterway which is responsible for 20 percent of global oil and gas supply.
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Market volatility and oil price surge
However, about 125 to 140 ships used to transit the Hormuz earlier on a daily basis. Following the news of US strikes in Iran, the Brent crude oil, which is the global benchmark, rose almost 3% on Tuesday to $98.91.
