Attacks continue over control of Strait of Hormuz as Tehran calls talks “futile”

Iran blamed the US for it increase in attacks last week over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

““Everything that has happened in the past few weeks, especially in the past few days, is the responsibility of the United States, because they have cheated from the first day,” said Esmail Baqaei, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday.

He said the US did not allow Iran to carry out work that would make the Strait of Hormuz safe for navigation, as stipulated in the fifth clause of the memorandum of understanding, and instead built other routes in the waterway that Tehran says are unsafe.

The US also launched major strikes on Iran on June 7, calling it retaliation for an Iranian attack on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which was hit south of the waterway, near the coast of Oman.

The United Nations Secretary-General has warned of “catastrophic consequences” in the region if fighting resumes.

“A return to full-scale conflict will have catastrophic consequences – for the people of the region, for international peace and security and for the global economy,” António Guterres said in a statement.

A UN official expressed his concern over the latest escalation and said the attacks “must stop.”

The price of Brent crude, the international standard, gained 4.7% to $79.59 per barrel, while US crude added 4.8% to $74.85 per barrel.

The prices of both types of crude oil recently fell back to their pre-war levels with Iran, after the two sides reached a temporary deal to end the conflict and ships resumed transporting oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, the United States launched a series of strikes against Iran on Monday morning in response to Iran’s attack on a shipping container ship that burned and left a crew member missing over the weekend. Iran retaliated by targeting countries in the Middle East.

Iran has condemned the latest wave of US attacks on its territory, saying it has “nullified” all diplomatic efforts over the past few months.

The United States is also “causing the return of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption of international commercial shipping by openly disrupting Iran’s process of implementing necessary systems in the Strait of Hormuz,” the State Department said in a statement on Sunday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Monday called for strikes against Bahrain and Oman, saying they destroyed radar systems in Oman and targeted US military bases on the southern outskirts of Manama.

Additionally, the Jordanian military said on Monday it shot down four Iranian missiles across the country, which Tehran said were aimed at retaliating against US strikes.

“Early in the morning today, the air defense intercepted and shot down four missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory,” said an official source from the Jordanian General Staff, adding that there were no reports of injuries or property damage.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck dozens of Iranian targets on Sunday.

“The military attacked the Iranian military’s air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using US warplanes, naval vessels, air-to-air attack aircraft, and air-to-air attack drones for the first time,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

It added that Iran “does not control” the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Tehran’s earlier claims that the vital waterway had been successfully blocked.