Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States had violated a provision of the agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran had responded to the development.
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday at the Interior Ministry building in Tehran, Pezeshkian said the agreement provided for the regulation of vessel transits through the strait in line with instructions from Iran and Oman. Pezeshkian said the United States had failed to honor that commitment and that Iran had responded accordingly.
Scope of the agreement
The Iranian president argued that the agreement reached with the United States in June had delivered gains for his country. Pezeshkian claimed that diplomatic talks and negotiations at the expert level had pushed Washington toward cooperation, describing the United States as a “colonialist and arrogant state.”
The first phase of the agreement reached through Pakistan’s mediation on June 14 provided for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the release of Iran’s frozen assets. Tehran had also pledged not to charge vessels transiting the strait for 60 days.
Dispute over the vessels’ transit route
After the agreement was signed, the United States did not release Iran’s assets and planned to route the vessels along an alternative path through Omani territorial waters. Tehran viewed these steps as a violation of the agreement.
Iran subsequently restricted maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Some vessels that Iranian authorities said were attempting to pass without authorization were also targeted.
Emphasis on economic concerns
Pezeshkian said that following US attacks on Iran and Israeli attacks since February 28, his greatest concern was not another US attack but the economic consequences.
The Iranian president said that his priority, in times of war or peace, was the public’s livelihood and the economic situation. He said tensions between Iran and the United States had turned into military clashes despite the agreement, adding that the clashes began on July 8 and lasted approximately two weeks.
Iran later resumed talks with Oman to identify safe corridors for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
