Their statement came shortly after the US military announced a fresh wave of strikes against Iran on Sunday, saying it aimed to “continue degrading” Tehran’s ability to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
“These barbaric attacks are not only a gross violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter…but also a serious threat to international peace and security,” said an Iranian foreign ministry statement.
They had “rendered futile all efforts of the past few months to reduce tension and establish peace in the West Asian region”, the statement added.
“The US regime has also caused the return of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and disruption of international commercial shipping by openly interfering in the process of Iran implementing the necessary arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Tehran.
The latest US salvo began at 2100 GMT on Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that US President Donald Trump “has directed the strikes to hold Iranian forces accountable.”
The flare-up is the latest to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their war, which has caused global economic shockwaves since it began in late February.
Iran reported strikes Sunday evening on two of its southern islands while Kuwait, where Tehran has repeatedly targeted US installations, said border posts and an offshore oil platform had been attacked.
The renewed fighting followed an Iranian attack early Sunday on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whose crew was forced to abandon it after it went up in flames.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said after the incident that “the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region,” according to state news agency IRNA.
CENTCOM countered on X that the strait was “open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit.” It said US forces were “positioned and prepared to ensure” freedom of navigation, adding: “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing.”
Control of the waterway has become key leverage for Iran, with an adviser to the country’s supreme leader on Sunday saying it was more important than “dozens of atomic bombs.”
Mediators have been trying to salvage a diplomatic solution to ending the war after US President Donald Trump this week declared a ceasefire over.
On Sunday evening, Iranian state media reported at least 10 “enemy projectiles” hitting Qeshm Island, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz. It also reported strikes on the island of Farur, to the east of Qeshm in the Gulf, that it said killed a telecommunications worker and wounded two others.
Shortly after, Kuwait said three of its land border posts in the north were damaged in an attack, and that an offshore drilling platform “was targeted by a hostile drone,” with one person injured.
Tehran said it had targeted two ships in Hormuz early on Sunday, including the one that caught fire. The American military said it had responded with strikes on about 140 targets.
Iran’s response to the US strikes came quickly, with sirens and explosions heard in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, AFP journalists and local authorities reported.
Kuwait said it was working to intercept an attack, while Jordan said three Iranian missiles fell inside the kingdom. Iran’s Guards said they also hit Oman, which has rarely been targeted. Muscat summoned the Iranian ambassador and handed him a formal protest – a rare move for the sultanate, which has been attempting to balance competing demands from Washington and Tehran. (AFP)
