The US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed recently was violated for the first time since its signing. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that on June 26, US forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites.

Washington said it was a response to an Iranian attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, so it was necessary to protect freedom of navigation.

On the evening of June 26, US President Donald Trump announced that Iran fired at least four drones at ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of which hit the upper deck of a cargo ship.

For its part, the Iranian Tasnim agency reported on the attacks on American military facilities in the region. US Vice President JD Vance stated that Washington “will respond to violence with violence”.

The IRGC claimed to have repelled an attack by US forces and warned that the US action “will not go unanswered”, promising a “crushing blow”. The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran states that last night’s airstrikes by the US Army on several coast guard facilities on the southern coast of Iran are a clear violation of the UN Charter, as well as the first point of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Iran and the United States.

“Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the airstrikes carried out by the US military last night on the facilities on the southern coast of Iran. “Iran considers the strikes on several coast guard facilities as a clear violation of Article 2, Clause 4 of the UN Charter, as well as the first clause of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed between Iran and the United States on the cessation of hostilities,” the statement said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasizes that at the same time Israel’s attack on Lebanon, which was coordinated with the US, is a clear violation of the first point of the memorandum of understanding.

“Iran, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, will defend its sovereignty, security and national interests with all its might. Defensive strikes by Iranian armed forces against US positions also took place within those frameworks. “It is obvious that the responsibility for the created situation lies with the USA and those parties that in some way participate in the attacks against Iran,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Iran calls on the countries in the southern part of the Persian Gulf to observe the norms of international law and the principle of neighborliness in relation to not allowing the use of their territories to carry out attacks on Iran.

Russian orientalist Viktor Nadein-Raevsky 168.amtold that the recent incidents in the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran finally eliminated the optimistic expectations formed after the recently signed memorandum of understanding.

According to him, as predicted by many, this escalation shows that diplomatic agreements have not become a security mechanism, and the level of trust between the conflicting parties remains low.

“What happened shows that the fundamental contradictions between the two states continue to prevail over the negotiation process.

It is not difficult to predict that the situation in the Middle East predetermines a phase of instability, where any technical or careless incident can turn into a full-scale military conflict. An increase in tensions in the Persian Gulf basin can be expected, with all its consequences, including an impact on global energy supply chains. There is no news here for the neighboring regions, Iran will continue to focus on the issue of increasing the influence of Israel or the USA in the South Caucasus, while simultaneously thinking about border security. This positioning of Iran will be maintained in the near future, as long as there is no stability in the deals with the USA,” said Victor Nadein-Raevsky.

According to him, it should be noted that the US-Iran negotiations are entering a deadlock, where it is still too early to talk about a “final agreement”.

“The memorandum has become only a diplomatic protocol without real mechanisms. Therefore, global actors should be prepared for prolonged uncertainty,” the analyst said.

Let’s remind that the delegation led by Iran’s Vice President Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi was in Armenia. The Vice President of Iran met with Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan in RA, during the meeting, Grigoryan and Pourmohammadi discussed issues related to the modernization of the border checkpoint and increasing the border crossing capacity. They also referred to the progress of cooperation in transport, energy, trade and economic relations and other areas of mutual interest. Pourmohammadi also met with Nikol Pashinyan.

“The interlocutors discussed the implementation of projects aimed at the development of Armenia-Iran border infrastructures. In particular, issues related to the construction of the second bridge and the new terminal, consistent development of cooperation in the customs sector and customs procedures. Both sides emphasized the development of cooperation in the field of energy carriers.

Reference was made to the joint road construction projects, as well as the steps aimed at the further development of cooperation in agriculture, mining, infrastructure and other fields.

Thoughts were also exchanged on the processes of unblocking regional channels and new opportunities,” the message said.

—