Iran Rejects UK-France Joint Statement on Hormuz, Cautioning Against External Military Actions

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi issued a strong rebuke on Saturday to a joint UK-France statement regarding the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that the strategic waterway is not a venue for extra-regional powers to showcase military force. In a post on X, he warned against “any military activity” in the sensitive passage, stating, “As a responsible power and the guarantor of security in the Strait, Iran warns against any military activity in this sensitive waterway.”

The minister’s remarks followed his condemnation of the UK-France assertion that the two nations “stand ready to deploy the wider Multinational Military Mission to support freedom of navigation” in the Strait. Gharibabadi stressed that security in the waterway “rests with the littoral states,” adding, “Those who create crises will bear responsibility for the consequences of their adventurism. This is a serious warning.”

The tension arises amid ongoing efforts to de-escalate regional conflicts. A U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, brokered under Pakistani mediation and signed electronically earlier this month by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and U.S. President Donald Trump, recently entered into force on June 18. The accord outlines a framework for resolving disputes, including cessation of hostilities, sanctions relief, nuclear cooperation, and broader regional security initiatives.

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