Trump threatens to take control of Hormuz Strait as new attacks shake the Gulf

In a telephone interview for Fox News on Monday, Trump said that if the United States takes control of the strait, they should be compensated for the task.

About a fifth of the world's transport of oil and gas in peacetime passed through this strait, and it has now become one of the main battlefields of conflict.

We will keep the strait and will most likely manage it. We'll be defenders of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And they should compensate us for this”, he said, without providing further details.

The troops of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said on Monday that the only way to restore navigation through the strait is to disrupt American military intervention on this waterway.

Meanwhile, Trump made this threat shortly after the United States struck targets in southern Iran in response to Tehran's attacks on ships on the Strait of Hormuz, which sparked Iranian attacks on its neighbours in the Persian Gulf.

Iran Attacks

The blast occurred throughout Monday morning in parts of Iran, including shortly before noon in the port city of Bandar Abbas, and the island of laughter, located in the straits.

The U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, said in a statement that its forces had launched <x0 attacks against Iran to continue weakening its ability to attack civilian sailors and commercial ships passing freely through the Strait of Hormuz”.

A second statement, released later Monday morning, added that the wave of attacks was over.

CENTCOM's <x0 Days hit Iranian air defence systems, coastal radars, missile and drone capacity, as well as small vessels, using American fighter aircraft, warships, single-use air safety, and for the first time fearing sea usages at”, CENTCOM said.

Hormuz Bay “Iran doesn't control him. ”

Data on shipping on Monday showed that the passage of oil tankers had dropped to the lowest level of the past two months.

The US Arab Allies in the Persian Gulf also reported attacks with Iranian missiles issued in response to American actions.

The IRC declared to have hit US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, destroyed radar systems in Oman and hit fuel and ammunition depots at Air Base “Prince Hassan” in Jordan. These claims could not be verified immediately.

Iranian news agency I The SNA reported two deaths in the industrial city of Abadan, near the Iraqi border, as a result of attacks. Even this claim could not be verified immediately.

Bahrejni, meanwhile, stated that “had successfully seized and destroyed several unfaithful Iranian air attacks”, accusing Tehran of “illegal missile attacks and fears they targeted civilians”.

“General Command stressed that the deliberate use of missiles and fears against civilians and private property constitutes flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”, the statement said.

The exchanges of attacks over the weekend constitute a major escalation of conflict, questioning the provisional agreement signed last month for the reopening of the strait and disruption of hostilities until the parties would hold 60-day peace talks.

Trump said last week that the Memorandum of Understanding was invalid in his opinion, though he added that negotiators could continue talks if they thought progress could be achieved towards a peace agreement.

“Bad people and sick people”

But the weekend with attacks made these hopes even worse.

Trump told CNN on Sunday that “hit very hard” and added Washington and Tehran were close to reaching an agreement ahead of the recent escalation of tensions.

They were giving up everything, and then only two hours later, they hit a ship with fear. These people have something that's not right”, Trump said.

“are very, very bad and sick people”, he said in another NBC interview.

We had meetings with them. Yesterday, they agreed to a fine deal for us. Without nuclear weapons, without it, without it... they had given up everything. Then they came out of the hall, and within an hour, they let down a threat to the ship. I said: You're sick people. You are sick.”, Trump added.

He also claimed that despite Iran's statements, maritime traffic in Hormuz' strategic Strait was continuing normally.

“It is open”, Trump said.

CENTCOM also stated that this waterway continues to be open for navigation.

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Aracchi, met over the weekend with Oman Foreign Minister Sayid Badr Albusaid to discuss mechanisms that would ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Tehran.

Earlier, Oman said discussions with Iran would continue both technical and political levels in an effort to reach agreements in accordance with international law concerning navigation on this waterway.

American officials did not participate in these discussions.

Free Europe Radio learned from diplomatic sources that mediators from Oman handed over to the Iranian delegation proposals for resolving disputes on maritime navigation. Senior officials declined to comment on the contents of the proposals.

According to diplomatic sources, Iran left the negotiations, saying it would return after achieving an internal position on proposals that would allow free duty free navigation in Oman's waters in the southern part of the strait.

Shortly thereafter, Iran's national security device responded by shooting at a merchant ship and announcing the closure of the waterway.

In recent months, Trump has promoted what he calls the “South Australian”, a sea route that keeps ships closer to the coast of Oman and further from Iranian territorial waters.

Tehran has repeatedly insisted that only the route he prefers -- closer to the Iranian coast -- is considered safe, and has previously been charged with attacks on ships using Oman's way.

Fighting Words Increases Danger

The last confrontation developed in an increasingly unstable political background.

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, pledged revenge for the murder of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, saying revenge “must definitely be carried out”.

Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israel air strikes on 28 February, when the war broke out, was buried on July 9th at the “shrine. Imam Reza” in Mashhad.

This issue depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are here or not, it will happen”, he said, adding that Iran has compiled a list of people who would be targeted.

Hours ago, Trump warned that any attempt to kill him would trigger an overwhelming American military response.

“1000 rockets are ready for launch and run over to the Islamic Republic of Iran, while thousands of others will immediately follow”, Trump wrote in the Social Truth, saying the United States would destroy “completely” Iran should such a threat materialize.

These developments come after a temporary ceasefire that had briefly stopped fighting after the conflict erupted in late February with massive American-Israel attacks against Iran. Trump has since declared that the ceasefire has practically ended, while he has said it remains open for the resumption of negotiations.

Meanwhile, in Britain, the government has declared it I RC is a threat to national security.

“Crpus of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, I RC, is the central component of Iranian state security device, directly responding to Iran's Supreme Leader”, Interior Minister Angela Eagle said in a written statement.

His role goes far beyond that of a conventional military force. It includes intelligence activities, the use of intermediate actors and the design of influence aimed at advancing Iran's” state objectives, she added. / REL