Shafaqna Pakistan: Iran is preparing to adopt a “fully offensive” military posture as diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent end to its conflict with the United States have stalled, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday. The development came as Washington ruled out extending a temporary ceasefire agreement.
Efforts to revive peace negotiations and restore oil tanker traffic through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz have also reached an impasse, with little indication that the two sides are moving towards ending the conflict that began after US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
The Iranian official warned that Tehran was prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region if necessary. He said Iranian forces would be ready to take “difficult decisions” and could launch a “timely and precise” military operation to break the US naval blockade if diplomatic efforts failed.
Monday marked the day by which Iran and the U.S. were expected to reach a final peace agreement ?under a memorandum of understanding signed in June and aimed at ending the war.
Signed on June 17, the MoU set a 60-day timeframe for the U.S. and Iran to reach a broader deal on Iran’s nuclear programme and U.S. sanctions.
The agreement, which declared the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts”, quickly unravelled over a dispute about control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war.
Asked by reporters on Monday if the U.S. was seeking to extend June’s interim agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump said no.
Source: Dunya News
