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Iran slams US for violating Islamabad deal after air raids on southern coast
Iran on Saturday condemned the United States for violating the Pakistan-mediated deal agreed to end the war against the Islamic Republic, after US air raids targeted several locations along the country’s southern coast.
“The US terrorist army’s aerial strikes on Iran’s coastal monitoring facilities constitute a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and a blatant breach of Article 1 of the ceasefire MoU,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also noted that “the Zionist occupation and apartheid regime [of Israel], in coordination with the US, simultaneously attacked Lebanon,” which it said also constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“Iran will defend its sovereignty, security, and national interests with all its might,” the statement read, emphasizing Iran’s inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The ministry said Iran’s Armed Forces had conducted defensive strikes “against targets linked to US aggressor forces” in response to the attacks, adding that “the responsibility for the consequences of this situation lies with the aggressor and covenant-breaking US regime and any parties complicit in its aggressive actions.”
The statement also called on all countries on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf to adhere to the principle of good neighborliness and to refrain from allowing aggressor parties to use their territory and facilities for attacks against Iran.
Transit through Strait of Hormuz
In a statement on Friday night, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had carried out assaults against what it claimed to be Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions in response to what it called an Iranian attack against a Singapore-flagged cargo ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran on Friday warned vessels not to enter or leave the Persian Gulf through the strait without its permission.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that any credible framework for maritime transit must be based on coordination with Iranian authorities and in line with Article 5 of the agreement signed between Tehran and Washington.
Hours after the CENTCOM’s statement, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said its forces conducted retaliatory strikes, targeting “the deployment sites of the US terrorist military in the region”.
“Should this aggression be repeated, our response will be broader than this,” the IRGC said.
Bahrain on Saturday said that it was targeted by what it called several Iranian drones early Saturday, accusing Tehran of “sabotaging peace efforts”.
The US attacks came more than a week after Tehran and Washington signed a 14-point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to end US-Israeli wars on all fronts, including Lebanon, lift US sanctions, remove the US naval blockade on Iran, and restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.