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Iran warns of ‘decisive’ response to any aggression after US attack on oil tankers

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the recent US attack on several Iranian oil tankers, warning that the country’s armed forces will respond “decisively” to any military aggression.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry said the US attack on Iranian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman was a continuation of Washington’s “military aggression, naval blockade, and economic war against Iran," describing it as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

The ministry stressed that the Islamic Republic remains determined to defend Iran’s sovereignty and national interests against US acts of aggression.

The Foreign Ministry said the Iranian armed forces would not hesitate to exercise their "inherent" right to self-defense and would respond decisively and appropriately to any military aggression by the enemy.

It added that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against a US base in Jordan and vessels belonging to the aggressor in the region were carried out in exercise of that "inherent" right to self-defense.

“In response to the US’ acts of aggression against Iranian oil tankers, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with their inherent right to self-defense, carried out defensive strikes against US bases and military facilities located in Jordan—which continues to support US military attacks against Iran—as well as several American aggressor vessels.”

The ministry warned that the US attacks not only risk a dangerous escalation of tensions in the region but also threaten regional and international peace and security.

It also renewed its call on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the UN secretary-general to take immediate action against US acts of aggression against Iran, which constitute a gross violation of international peace and security.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in response to the US terrorist attack on five Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region, carried out retaliatory attacks against two US vessels, eight oil tankers, and 10 other ships attempting to pass through the prohibited zone of the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Wednesday.

Earlier, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force had struck the US’s al-Azraq Airbase in Jordan with a missile barrage, inflicting “heavy damage on the hostile forces.”

The latest round of aggression against Iran began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched large-scale strikes on Iranian territory.

Iran’s armed forces responded with daily waves of missiles and drones targeting US and Israeli assets across the region, and closed the Strait of Hormuz to US and allied vessels.

On June 17, Iran and the US signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the wars across all fronts.

In recent weeks, in violation of the MoU, the US has continued its illegal naval blockade of Iran and struck multiple locations in southern Iran, prompting Tehran to target US military facilities across the region and close the strategic waterway again.


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