Iran's Central Military Command issued a fresh warning on Wednesday, declaring that Tehran would not tolerate any interference in the Strait of Hormuz and that the only safe passage through the waterway was the route designated by Iran, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
What Iran Said
The statement, attributed to Iran's Central Military Command, reiterated Tehran's longstanding position that vessels transiting the strait must stick to routes set out by Iranian authorities, framing any deviation as a security risk for the vessels involved.
It also warned against outside interference in the waterway, signalling that Tehran views any American military presence aimed at securing alternative routes as a provocation.
The Backdrop: A Fragile Truce Unravelling
The warning comes hours after CENTCOM confirmed it had struck more than 80 targets inside Iran on Wednesday, in retaliation for attacks on three commercial vessels transiting Hormuz earlier this week.
Iran responded with its own strikes on US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming to have hit 85 sites, including the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and the Ali Al-Salem air base in Kuwait.
The exchange marks the most serious rupture yet in the memorandum of understanding signed by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on 17th June, which had included a 60-day window for toll-free passage through the strait.
Tehran, however, has repeatedly insisted it retains the right to control shipping routes and will eventually charge vessels for passage once that window lapses around August 17, a position Washington and Gulf Arab states have rejected.
A Recurring Flashpoint
Iran's military had already warned last week that tankers deviating from its approved routes would face a "forceful response," a threat that followed Oman and the UN's attempt to open a new transit corridor near the Omani coast.
The latest statement effectively repeats that position, this time explicitly naming interference by US forces as grounds for retaliation, deepening uncertainty over whether the Hormuz ceasefire can hold as both sides continue trading strikes.
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