Tehran:Iran’s armed forces have warned that hostilities with the US and Israel could resume, saying it is “likely” that the conflict will reignite and accusing Washington of failing to honour agreements.
The comments were made by Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a deputy at Iran’s military headquarters, in a statement carried by the Fars news agency. Recent moves and statements by US officials demonstrate no real commitment to diplomatic efforts, he said.
US messaging appears to be mostly media-driven and meant to avoid a fall in the price of oil and distance itself from the mess it has created, Asadi said.
He went on to say that Iran's military is on high alert and ready to respond to any escalation. He also warned against what he called "new adventures" by the US.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency says that his statement comes after former US President Donald Trump turned down Iran's latest offer for talks, which had been sent through mediators in Pakistan. Later, Trump said he was "not satisfied" with the proposal but didn't say why.
Even though there has been a shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran for the past three weeks, there are still tensions.
US warns ships to avoid paying fee to Iran in HormuzThe US has warned shipping companies that they could be hit with sanctions if they pay Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The advisory, issued Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), cranks up pressure on the widening deadlock between Washington and Tehran over control of the strategic waterway.
In peacetime, it is estimated that about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the US and Israel declared war on February 28, Iran has effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening ships. It then started to offer safe passage to certain ships by steering them closer to its shoreline, sometimes for a fee.
Now, that “tollbooth” set-up is the subject of the US sanctions warning.
The payments could take many forms, including cash, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps or other in-kind transfers such as charitable donations or payments made at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons of the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage,” the agency said. “The risks are there if you pay by credit card or not.
Iran’s closure of the strait triggered a US naval blockade of the waterway on April 13, which prevented Iranian tankers from leaving and crippled the oil revenue needed to support the country’s struggling economy.
Since the blockade began, the US Central Command has ordered 45 commercial ships to stop.
Trump turns down Iran offerThe warning came after President Donald Trump quickly turned down Iran's latest offer to end the war.
"They want to make a deal, but I'm not happy with it. We'll see what happens," Trump said on Friday at the White House. He didn't say why he was against it, but he did say he was angry with Iran's leaders.
Trump said, "The leadership is very disjointed." "They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up."