Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has accused the United States of favoring escalation over dialogue in navigating arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz. Araqchi claimed that disagreements related to the memorandum of understanding could have been resolved through diplomatic channels.
In statements carried by Iranian media, Araqchi suggested that Washington could have addressed the 'ambiguities' concerning the fifth clause of the memorandum, but instead chose a path that heightened tensions in the strait.
He noted that the use of the southern passage of the strait began about 10 days after its reopening, describing this move as 'malicious' and suggesting that it would have been better to implement the agreed-upon mechanism first, then evaluate its results after the set deadline.
The Iranian Foreign Minister also accused U.S. forces of directing commercial ships to use alternative maritime routes rather than the ones designated by Tehran, arguing that this violates previous understandings and further complicates the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz.