Iran threatens attack on US blockade as Washington rules out extending ceasefire

Iran threatens attack on US blockade as Washington rules out extending ceasefire.

Key points

• Iran has bombed US military bases and infrastructure in countries including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
• Signed on June 17, the MoU set a 60-day timeframe for the US and Iran to reach a broader accord on Iran's nuclear programme and US sanctions.
• Asked by reporters on Monday if the US was seeking to extend June's interim agreement, US President Donald Trump remarked no.
• Earlier on Monday, Trump repeated on his Truth Social platform that his main goal was to ensure that Iran never has nuclear weapons.
• The strait is a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and an significant international shipping route.

Iran, US have failed to reach a permanent peace agreement by Monday's deadline. Tehran threatens 'precise' military attack against the US naval blockade.

US rejects Iran's claim that agreement gives Tehran right to manage Hormuz. Trump rule out extending the interim agreement signed in June.

As Washington ruled out extending a temporary ceasefire agreement, DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Iran has threatened to launch a military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomatic efforts to end the war fail, a senior Iranian official informed Reuters on Monday.

Progress towards peace discussions and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, with no sign that the warring parties are moving towards ending the conflict that the US and Israel rolled out with attacks on Iran on February 28.

"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions, " the Iranian official remarked, adding that Tehran would conduct a "timely and precise" military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.

Monday marked the day by which Iran and the US were projected to reach a final peace agreement under a memorandum of understanding signed in June and aimed at ending the war.

Notably, the agreement, which declared the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts", rapidly unravelled over a dispute concerning control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war.

Iran remarked point 5 of the MoU provided it the right to manage the strait. It it shares with Oman, while the US rejected that interpretation. Hostilities resumed as Iran began firing on vessels it remarked were trying to sail through Hormuz on an unapproved route, and Trump stated on July 7 that the pact was "over".

"Within the short period of a few weeks set by Iran, all the agreement's provisions must be implemented by the US. This is a precondition for further negotiations with the US, " the Iranian official informed Reuters, adding that mediators would share Tehran's deadline with Washington and regional states.

Although progress has been slow, iran has separately been negotiating an agreement with its neighbour Oman throughout the strait over managing Hormuz, seen as a key component of a wider agreement, and notes they are close to agreement.

"If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them, " Trump informed Fox. Houthi attacks stoke reservations over wider war.

Since the US and Israel rolled out attacks on Iran at the end of February, thousands of individuals have been killed in the conflict, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. Iran has bombed US military bases and infrastructure in countries including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

While additionally saying that "after we finish defeating Iran. Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States", trump cautioned Americans in a speech at a rally on Friday to prepare for continued high fuel costs since of the war.

Benchmark Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 have surged since the start of the war in February, hitting a peak of $126 a barrel, roughly 75% above pre-war levels, with choppy trade reflecting reservations over disruptions to Gulf oil supplies and shifting signals on peace negotiations. Brent crude edged up on Monday to around $89 a barrel.

Attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have additionally renewed worries regarding a widening regional war and the economic fallout it could bring.

In the latest incident, the Houthis attacked what they called a Saudi military ship and four escort vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with missiles, according to the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree on Telegram on Monday. The strait is a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and an significant international shipping route. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities. At a Gaza zoo, war takes its toll on the animals.

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In short, iran threatens attack on US blockade as Washington rules out extending ceasefire is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.