The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s top joint military command has asserted that the continued US naval blockade of all Iranian ports constitutes a violation of the ceasefire.
The Commander added that if the US maintains the naval blockade, “this will be a prelude to violating the ceasefire.”
Iran’s army also warned that it will block trade through the Red Sea, along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman, if the US naval blockade on Iranian ports continue. The Commander added that Iran will “act decisively to defend its national sovereignty and its interests.”
“Our armed forces will not allow trade to flow through the Red Sea if the naval blockade continues. We will not allow any exports or imports in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman if the American blockade continues.”
Iranian army
Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country is not seeking war but dialogue and that any attempt by the US to impose its will or force Iran to surrender will fail. “What justification is there in targeting civilians, elites, children and destroying vital centres, including schools and hospitals, within the framework of international law and humanitarian principles?” Pezeshkian added.
Separately, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his trip to China that Gulf Arab states understand that Iran would not have closed the Strait of Hormuz were it not for “American aggression.”
He said that Moscow is pushing for continued negotiations between Iran and the US in order to reach a solution regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The Minister added that Russia will accept any solution to the Iranian uranium enrichment issue that suits Tehran’s interests.
Lavrov said that the International Atomic Energy Agency has “never recorded that Iran’s uranium enrichment was for military purposes.” “I hope the US will be realistic and refrain from continuing its aggression in the Middle East, which is even harming its allies,” he added.
Iran Demands Compensation For Destruction Caused By US-Israeli Attacks
Meanwhile, Iran has demanded that it receive compensation for the destruction caused by the United States and Israel’s attacks, as the country remains defiant and regional powers continue their attempts to mediate an end to the conflict. Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations said that five regional countries must pay compensation, based on his accusation that their territories were used for launching attacks on Iran.
Iran has also raised the idea of compensation for damages to come through a Strait of Hormuz protocol, which would include a tax on ships passing through the waterway.
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said during an interview with a Russian news agency, that an early estimate indicates that Iran has suffered about $270bn in direct and indirect damages since the start of the US-Israel war on February 28.
She did not provide further information, such as a breakdown of the damages, but said the issue of compensation was discussed in last week’s negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan, and will be raised in any potential future talks with the US and mediators.
The government has said it is still assessing the extensive damage dealt to Iran’s critical infrastructure, after oil and gas facilities, petrochemical companies, steel plants, and aluminium factories were repeatedly targeted, in addition to military complexes.
These will take years to fully rebuild. Bridges, ports and railway networks, universities and research centres, and several power plants and water desalination plants were also directly hit, while a large number of hospitals, schools and civilian homes were damaged or destroyed.
Spokeswoman Mohajerani told Iranian state media earlier this week that “existing economic realities” mean that the government does not have the resources to repay civilians if their homes have been damaged or destroyed by US-Israeli attacks.
Despite the scope and depth of the damage, as well as the impact of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, Iranian authorities have signalled that they do not intend to give major concessions in negotiations with Washington, including on nuclear enrichment.
Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the hardline-dominated parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said in a social media post that the two-week ceasefire announced last week must not be extended, arguing that it would give the US and Israel a chance to replenish their arms stocks and improve positions for attack.
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