Iran says it will reciprocate if US honours June deal as tensions remain high
Iran said it would reciprocate if the United States fulfilled commitments under a June memorandum, after renewed strikes and reports of tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Iran said on Tuesday it would reciprocate if the United States honoured commitments under a June interim agreement, while tensions remained high after President Donald Trump threatened further strikes against Tehran.
The renewed exchange of attacks followed a U.S. strike on Iran’s Larak Island on Sunday and Iran’s overnight missile launches at two U.S. air bases in Jordan.
Oil and shipping concerns
Oil prices rose after the first direct exchange of attacks since late July and reports that two tankers had come under fire while leaving the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil supply route that Iran has effectively closed to shipping.
The six-month conflict had moved into an economic standoff before the U.S. attack on Larak Island. Although neither side appears to seek a return to full-scale war, their commitments to respond to further attacks have raised concerns that sanctions, blockades and economic pressure could again develop into military action.
June memorandum
Tehran has repeatedly said it would permit free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz only if Washington implemented the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both sides in June.
The memorandum declared an end to fighting but left several difficult issues unresolved and established a wider 60-day negotiating period, which ended without further agreement.
“I am stating clearly that if the U.S. returns to its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.
Renewed threats
A Fox News reporter quoted Trump as saying on Monday that the United States would “hit them hard” and that “there will be a response.” Trump separately told reporters that the renewed strikes did not indicate a return to full-scale war.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that the exchanges were a “limited and contained confrontation” but said Tehran would respond harshly if it was attacked again.
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