A senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region, launching an attack if the United States fails to implement a memorandum of understanding within weeks.
The threat came as the 60-day deadline stipulated in the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” between the US and Iran reached its final station on Monday without an agreement or extension.
Speaking to Reuters, the senior Iranian official threatened a “military attack at the appropriate time and with precision, to break the American naval blockade” if Washington does not adhere to the deadline and if “diplomatic efforts fail.”
“We will not wait for America to continue the naval blockade indefinitely,” the official added.
Amid the mounting threat of conflict, Iraqi Finance Minister Faleh Sari discussed the “negative impacts” of closing the Strait of Hormuz on the Iraqi economy with Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati on Monday.
The Iraqi Finance Ministry stated that the two sides discussed the economic repercussions of the strait’s closure, particularly the disruption of oil exports and the decline in revenue flows, alongside ways to enhance economic and financial cooperation between the two countries. Hemmati affirmed Iran’s keenness to continue economic and financial cooperation with Iraq in a manner that supports its economic stability.
Meanwhile, regional diplomatic efforts continued in an attempt to contain the tensions. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stated that Minister Badr Abdelatty held a phone call with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to discuss regional developments.
The ministers stressed the importance of intensifying efforts aimed at de-escalation, while confirming the importance of respecting state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the freedom of international navigation.
Both ministers emphasised the necessity of returning to the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the US to contain the tensions, describing the agreement as the foundation for resuming the diplomatic track and reaching a sustainable settlement that contributes to enhancing regional security and stability.
