Trump Accuses Iran of Breaking Deal, Vows Fresh Strikes

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Monday accused Iran of violating its agreement with the United States, while simultaneously vowing that Washington would respond with overwhelming force.

“Most of their equipment is gone … we hit them very hard last night,” Trump told Fox News programme Fox and Friends. “Every time they send a drone, we hit them very hard.”

“But we had a deal … And then they broke it. They always break it … so we’re just going to hit them very hard and we’re going to keep the Strait and we’ll probably run it,” he added.

International media reported that the Middle East was once again rocked by large-scale US and Iranian attacks, the most intense fighting since an April ceasefire, as renewed clashes over the strategic Strait of Hormuz threatened to derail efforts aimed at permanently ending the war.

As US attacks on Iranian targets continued on Monday, Tehran announced that it would stop complying with a framework agreement signed in June to halt the fighting if Washington failed to honour its commitments.

Iran also responded with strikes targeting Gulf states, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announcing attacks on Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman.

“There is no doubt that this document is in crisis,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“Each time that the other party has failed to meet its obligations, we did not uphold ours,” he said. “We will continue to act in this manner.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters declared that it would not allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We will not allow the US to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances,” Iranian state broadcaster Press TV quoted Khatam al-Anbiya spokesman Ebrahim Zolfghari as saying.

“The US and the countries cooperating with its military bear full responsibility for all insecurity and the escalation of the war in the region,” he added.

The latest escalation comes weeks after the United States and Iran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a Pakistan-mediated framework intended to transform an earlier ceasefire into a permanent settlement after weeks of intense fighting that threatened regional stability and global energy supplies. The agreement envisaged a phased reduction in military operations, confidence-building measures and negotiations on maritime security in the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the dispute because it is one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, linking the Persian Gulf with international markets. A substantial share of globally traded crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the narrow shipping lane each day, making any military confrontation in the area a source of immediate concern for energy markets, shipping companies and major world powers.

Pakistan and Qatar have continued diplomatic efforts to preserve the agreement despite repeated violations and growing mistrust between Washington and Tehran. Officials from both countries have remained engaged with the two sides in an attempt to revive negotiations and prevent the conflict from expanding into a broader regional war, warning that continued military escalation could jeopardise maritime trade, destabilise Gulf security and undermine prospects for a negotiated settlement.