It is absolutely clear that the United States will lead negotiations with Iran to failure, said Mohsen Rezaei, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to Rezaei, Washington is attempting to establish an alternative maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz for its own vessels — a move Tehran says it will never accept.
US Restores Oil Sanctions Amid Tensions
Earlier, Washington announced it was reinstating economic sanctions on Iranian oil exports in response to what it called the Islamic Republic’s “absolutely unacceptable” actions in the Strait of Hormuz, where three ships came under attack within the past 24 hours.
Iran Rejects Qatar’s Accusations
Iran, however, has dismissed as “unacceptable” Qatar’s allegations regarding yesterday’s attack on a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described Doha’s claims as “questionable,” contrary to the principle of good neighborliness, and unacceptable. In response, Qatar summoned the chargé d’affaires of Iran’s embassy in Doha to lodge a formal protest.