Iran’s foreign minister says Tehran has control of the Strait of Hormuz for the next 30 days and warns against interference with its plans to reopen the waterway—even as exchanges of U.S. and Iranian strikes have ruptured the uneasy ceasefire both countries ag
The Strait of Hormuz has been anything but quiet. On Sunday. Iran’s foreign minister. Abbas Araghchi. stood at a news conference and delivered a warning that sounded like a boundary line drawn in real time: Iran would control the strait for the next 30 days. and other parties should not try to impose new arrangements.
He said Iran has “control over the Strait of Hormuz for the next 30 days,” adding that any attempt to set up “new or separate arrangements” would bring “further complications,” delay reopening, and “increase the level of tension.”
Araghchi pointed to a memorandum that. under its terms. tasks Iran with “using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels.” The same memorandum also calls for Iran to “conduct dialogue” with Oman and other Persian Gulf states “to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz.”.
State-run media quoted Araghchi telling other parties to keep to the signed memorandum of understanding. warning that they should “adhere to the signed memorandum of understanding. and not to allow this memorandum of understanding to deviate from its course.” He added: “I ask all parties not to interfere in the issue of managing the Strait of Hormuz and the arrangements adopted by the Islamic Republic of Iran for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.”.
The urgency behind the message was hard to miss. The statement came as recent exchanges of strikes between the U.S. and Iran are fracturing an already uneasy ceasefire both sides agreed to in the memorandum.
Early Sunday morning, Iran struck U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its navy and air forces launched ballistic missiles and drones at the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the Fifth Fleet Naval Base in Bahrain—both described by state-run media as U.S. military sites.
In Bahrain, the Associated Press reported that a residential building near the international airport was damaged by the Iranian strikes. No one was killed, the report said, but Bahrain’s Interior Ministry posted photos showing an eight-story building with a destroyed top floor and blown-out windows.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iran’s attack. focusing on “the resulting material damages that affected civilian properties.” In a statement. it said Iran’s continued targeting of Bahrain represents “a dangerous escalation” that undermines de-escalation efforts. heightens tensions. and destabilizes security and stability in the region—in “clear violation of the rules of international law and the United Nations Charter.”.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said the “repetition of the aggression will not impose a fait accompli and will not diminish the determination of Bahrain and the steadfastness of its people.”
The sequence of retaliation is tied to a recent U.S. action. Iran attacked after U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on Saturday against “multiple targets. ” including military surveillance infrastructure. communication systems. air defense sites. drone storage facilities. and minelayer capabilities in Iran. U.S. Central Command described the Saturday strikes as “direct response” for an Iranian drone attack on a tanker in the strait.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump used social media to accuse Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement. In the post, he said: “It is very possible that they will never learn!. There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable. and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started.” He added. “If that happens. the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”.
Trump has previously made similar threats against Iran. In April, he wrote on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” Human rights organizations and experts said the remark amounted to a threat to commit war crimes and genocide.
Sunday’s U.S. moves were also swift. U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets conducted strikes “tonight on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz” for Iran’s drone attack on M/T Kiku, according to a post from U.S. Central Command.
In its own statement Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the U.S. violated the memorandum of understanding. The IRGC warned that this violation “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes.”
The facts line up in a grim, familiar way: Iran points to a memorandum that assigns it tasks for reopening the strait and managing safe passage for commercial vessels, then insists other parties should stay out of its plan—while the U.S. and Iran trade strikes that each side says break the deal.
With Araghchi saying Iran has control of the Strait of Hormuz for the next 30 days. the practical question facing governments and shipping interests is straightforward. even if the legal argument is not: can reopening and dialogue proceed while both sides describe the other’s actions as violations that shut down diplomacy?.
Iran Abbas Araghchi Strait of Hormuz memorandum of understanding U.S. Iran ceasefire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ali Al-Salem Air Base Fifth Fleet Naval Base Kuwait Foreign Ministry Bahrain Foreign Ministry Donald Trump U.S. Central Command
So they “control” it now? Cool cool.
I don’t get why the U.S. keeps “striking” if they’re trying to reopen it. Like, isn’t that literally interference? Seems backwards.
Thirty days control means they’ll charge tolls or something? also Oman is probably gonna get dragged into it again. Ceasefire never lasts when people start firing, shocking.
Strait of Hormuz “30 days” sounds like a power move before they reopen it, but then they say it’s for safe passage? Like which is it. Also I saw something on TikTok that said the U.S. was gonna blow up the whole port, so maybe this is just propaganda theater anyway. If Oman is involved at all, it’s probably not gonna end well for shipping.