Iran says MoU suspended after 'US violated its commitments'

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday that Tehran has suspended its commitments to a recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) after “the US violated its commitments.”

“The US has violated and suspended all its commitments within the framework of the Islamabad MoU,” Gharibabadi said in a statement carried by Iran's semi-official news agency Fars.

"We have also suspended our commitments, we are not implementing them, and we are busy defending the country," he added.

Separately, Iran accused the US of seeking to take control of the Strait of Hormuz by disregarding an agreement that calls for the strategic waterway to be managed in consultation with Oman and regional countries.

“Article 5 of the memorandum of understanding explicitly emphasizes the management of the Strait of Hormuz in consultation with Oman and countries in the region,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to the Tasnim News Agency.

“However, by disregarding this agreement, the US intends to take control of this strategic waterway,” he added.

Baqaei defended Iran’s recent restrictions in the strait as a “responsible response” aimed at preventing what he called "aggressors" from exploiting the waterway to launch attacks against Iran.

“Iran believes that the source of instability in the region is the joint intervention of the US and Israel, which continually perpetuates war and violence,” he added.

Tensions have heightened in the Middle East, where the US and Iran continue to exchange attacks.

The military escalation comes despite a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding signed in June to end the war and reach a lasting peace agreement.