Iran condemns US ceasefire 'violations' after strikes in south
Iran condemned on Thursday what it called violations by the United States after its strikes on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, while vowing to defend its sovereignty.
The ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran would "take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty" and condemned what he called "the threatening rhetoric of American officials against Iran and several regional countries."
"Referring to the continuous ceasefire violations by the U.S. ... Baqaei insisted on the Islamic Republic of Iran's determination to take all the necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," a foreign ministry statement said.
According to the statement, Baqaei "expressed solidarity with the friendly and brotherly country that is Oman" after President Donald Trump threatened to "blow them up".
The ministry spokesman condemned the remarks as "a worrying sign of the normalization of anarchy and intimidation in international relations".
U.S. forces launched strikes that hit a ground control station in the southern port area of Bandar Abbas, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The strikes prompted a swift response, with Iran's Revolutionary Guards saying they had targeted the U.S. air base that served as the source of the attack without providing details on its location.
Kuwait's military later said its air defences were responding to an "enemy" attack.
The brief flare-up happened despite ongoing diplomatic exchanges between Tehran and Washington to draw up an agreement aimed at ending the war which began on February 28.
On Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to "finish the job" if Tehran did not agree to deal and threatened Oman, a US ally and mediator in the conflict.
His remarks came after Iranian state television cited a draft of the framework being discussed, suggesting that Iran would keep control over the Strait of Hormuz in cooperation with Oman.
"It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine," said Trump.