US launches ​strikes against Iran after attacks on vessels in strait ​of ​Hormuz | Qatar

The US military has launched a series of “strong” strikes against Iran in response to what it described as “unjustified, dangerous” attacks by Iran on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, it announced Tuesday night.

In a statement on social media, the US Central Command accused Tehran of “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement signed between the US and Iran last month.

The statement said the attacks were designed “to impose heavy costs on targeting and attacking commercial vessels crewed by innocent civilians in international waterways.”

Qatar warned Iran that it would take full legal responsibility after three tankers, including a Qatari LNG ship, were hit within a few hours in the strait.

All three were hit near Oman, which suggested a new shipping corridor close to the coastline; Iran opposes this proposal because it wants to charge ships for using the waterway.

Iran on Tuesday blamed the United States for the incident and said Washington’s efforts to open new routes through the strait amounted to a violation of a memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides.

Tehran claims the agreement was specifically written to direct the reopening of the strait in consultation with Oman, with the aim of returning commercial traffic to pre-war levels within 30 days.

At a briefing in Tehran, foreign ministry officials insisted Iran had the right to impose fees on all ships using the strait.

“Ensuring the security of the strait for safe passage is a service in itself,” a foreign ministry spokesman said, setting conditions for long-term management of the strait that are likely to be rejected by Oman and western maritime interests.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said that the Qatari Al Rekayyat tanker was hit near the city of Limah in Oman while trying to head south through the strait towards the Gulf of Oman.

During a distress call, the Al Rakayyat crew was heard sending the following message: “We are being hit by a drone near the port side engine room.”

It was the first time a Qatari ship was hit since the war between the USA and Iran began on February 28. Qatar is acting as a mediator in the talks, but foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called it a “serious and flagrant violation” of international law and said Qatar would hold Iran fully responsible for the act of aggression.

Iran’s foreign ministry claimed that the agreement left it to the task of reopening the strait, but “but the US is somehow trying to open new routes”.

The spokesman also rejected Oman’s proposal to establish a new authority for the strait, modeled on the Malacca and Singapore straits; Here, fees are charged not only for certain cruise services, including security.

“For a long time, we have been too generous to ask for anything. Providing security is costly, and Iran and Oman have been doing this for a long time. Therefore, from now on, we will ask for the necessary expenses when providing relevant services, including ensuring safe passage,” the spokesman said.

He added: “When you serve in the English Channel, you call it deep sea pilotage, for example, you give it different names but it’s the same.”

However, in busy waterways, deep-sea pilotage is considered voluntary.

Iran will face criticism that it requires ships to pay mandatory fees or risk being attacked; This situation is close to the protection plan. Tehran argues that the strait became disputed only because of American aggression.

Iran’s foreign ministry also flatly rejected offers from France and Britain to begin clearing mines and securing the southern route through the strait near the Omani coast.

The spokesman said: “When France and others said they were ready to help, we said ‘no thank you’; this is something Iran has to do and we know how to do it.”

Saudi Arabia condemned Iran’s targeting of the Saudi-flagged tanker Wedyan and the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz, saying the attacks threatened international navigation and global energy supplies.

“The Kingdom emphasizes its demand that Iran immediately cease all actions that threaten the security of the region and the security of international navigation and energy resources,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. he said.

The ministry said Saudi Arabia holds Iran “fully responsible for these attacks, their damage and all their repercussions.”

Qatar summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador to Qatar to register his protest following reports that the ship’s crew had abandoned the ship.

Reports that at least three more ships were attacked in the last 24 hours have not been confirmed.