News24 | Iran says it will escalate if US does not honour deal within weeks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US first returns to the deal, while the US Treasury Secretary has warned of ‌unprecedented economic isolation for ⁠Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

• Iran threatens escalation if the United States fails to fully implement the interim peace deal within weeks.
• Tehran will launch a “timely and precise” military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy fails.
• Iran is shifting from defence to offence, losing confidence in diplomatic merits with Washington.

Iran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond, and launch an attack if ‌the US fails to implement an interim peace ⁠deal fully in a matter of weeks, a senior ⁠Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.

If the US does not meet that deadline and diplomacy fails, Tehran would conduct a “timely and precise” military attack to break ‌the US naval blockade on the Islamic Republic, the official added.

Diplomatic efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to talks under a June ‌agreement have stalled in recent weeks.

Iran’s foreign minister has said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US first returns to the deal, while the US Treasury Secretary has warned of ‌unprecedented economic isolation for ⁠Iran.

“Within the short period of a few weeks set by Iran, all the agreement’s provisions must be implemented by the US This is a precondition for further negotiations with the US,” the official told Reuters.

Mediators would share details of Tehran’s deadline with Washington and regional states, the official added.

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“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and ⁠wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions,” the official said.

The Iranian official said Tehran was shifting its policy from defence to offence as it was losing confidence in the merits of diplomacy with Washington.

“It is a proven fact that the US is not serious about a ceasefire and won’t commit ⁠to any, so putting pressure on the enemy or relying ‌on mediators in ‌the hope of reaching a permanent ceasefire is not realistic,” the official said.