Foreign vessels must use Iran-set Hormuz routes, lawmaker says

Kuwait’s armed forces detected and intercepted two hostile ballistic missiles inside Kuwaiti airspace early on Sunday, the defense ministry spokesperson said.

Colonel Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan said the missiles were dealt with under approved operational procedures.

No material damage or injuries were reported, he said, adding that the armed forces remained on alert.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he met Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Baghdad on Sunday.

Araghchi had earlier arrived in the Iraqi capital with an accompanying delegation and visited a memorial for slain commanders Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Araghchi also met Iraqi President Nizar Amidi in Baghdad.

Iran’s army was fully prepared to restore the region’s military conditions to the situation before the agreement if the US violated MoU terms, the army spokesman said on Sunday.

Amir Akraminia said Iran had developed more advanced equipment during the 40-day war, including drones used in the final days of the conflict.

He said upgraded missiles were also used by both the army and the Revolutionary Guards during the war.

Akraminia added that Iran had plans both for domestic production and for purchases of advanced equipment from friendly countries, saying the army would soon receive more advanced systems.

The IRGC Navy threatened US bases in the region after American strikes on Sirik, saying Washington’s attacks would not weaken what it described as Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.

“America’s blind strikes on Sirik will not solve the question of our command over the Strait,” the IRGC Navy command said.

It said Iranian fire against what it called “violators” was meant to remind other vessels of “the clear route” for safe passage.

The IRGC Navy also warned that US bases in the region were “a separate matter,” adding: “They will experience hell in these days.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned US airstrikes on several monitoring and surveillance facilities along the country’s southern coast, calling them a renewed violation of an interim agreement meant to end the war.

The ministry said the attacks took place in the early hours of Sunday and violated both the UN Charter and the first clause of the June 18 memorandum aimed at ending the conflict.

“These brutal attacks show that the US does not place the slightest value or credibility on its commitments, and breaking promises is part of its nature,” the ministry said.

Tehran said the strikes targeted facilities used for monitoring and surveillance on Iran’s southern coast.

The Foreign Ministry also called on the UN Security Council and the UN secretary-general to act in defense of international peace and security, while saying Iran reserved its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity under Article 51 of the UN Charter.