Metro Manila, Philippines – Iran said its memorandum of understanding with the United States on the Strait of Hormuz is “very much under life support,” accusing Washington of violating the agreement while urging a return to diplomacy.
In an exclusive interview with NewsWatch Plus on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meetings in Manila, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeid Khatibzadeh said the agreement had briefly restored normal commercial shipping before the US allegedly failed to honor its commitments.
“The MOU is very much under life support,” Khatibzadeh said. “Americans have violated every single aspect of the MOU, from paragraph one to paragraph five.” He alleged that Washington has reinstated coercive measures, canceled waivers and imposed a blockade after the agreement was reached.
Khatibzadeh said Iran had fully implemented the agreement for one week, including efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, before the United States allegedly violated the arrangement.
Despite accusing Washington of breaching the agreement, the Iranian official said diplomacy remains the only viable solution.
“I don’t want to rush into making any sort of judgment, but I think diplomacy is the only option that we do have,” he said.
Khatibzadeh said the waterway could quickly return to pre-conflict conditions if Washington abandoned what he described as its military approach and resumed diplomacy.
