US Airstrikes Trigger Iran Freeze on MoU Deal; Kuwait Oil Site Hit
Iran has suspended its commitments in the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was reached last month, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported, citing the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
"The U.S. has violated and suspended all its commitments within the framework of the Islamabad MoU," Gharibabadi told the news agency. “We have also suspended our commitments, we are not implementing them, and we are busy defending the country.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called on Iran and the US to adhere to the MoU, Al Arabiya English reported. The minister urged the two countries to avoid escalation.
The Iranian declaration comes after US Central Command’s latest wave of airstrikes against Iran, which took place Friday night. The US hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities and maritime capabilities.
Centcom has also fully enforced a naval blockade against Iranian ports.
Iran Says 50 Killed in US Strikes
Iran has warned that it will expand its targeting of Gulf Arab nations in response to US strikes against its infrastructure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said countries hosting US forces in the region should be prepared for a proportionate response.
Iran’s Health Ministry said US attacks on the country since July 6 have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500. Iran’s national water company said some 10,000 people are without water after overnight US attacks.
A seawater pumping station and a power transformer at the Bunji desalination plant in southern Iran were "completely destroyed" by US strikes, Tasnim News Agency reported on Saturday.
Within Iran, there is "a gradual lack of feeling that any kind of restraint is going to be beneficial to negotiations," Roxane Farmanfarmian, a professor of Middle East politics at the University of Cambridge, told Al Jazeera. "There is a hardening generally in feeling that Iran needs to hit hard, to sustain and show endurance."
Kuwait Oil Site Hit
Separately, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) announced Saturday that Iran repeatedly attacked one of the country’s "vital sites" in the oil sector. The assault resulted in significant material damage and some injuries, it said.
"I think what we’re seeing is that they’re using Kuwait, in particular, as an example of what they can do in retaliation," Farmanfarmian said.
A satellite image captured smoke billowing into the sky near an oil facility in Kuwait, Fox News reported. Another image released by Reuters showed flames and black smoke near an oil facility in Mangaf, Kuwait.
Kuwait’s military said it has “detected, since dawn today, hostile ballistic missiles and drones within Kuwaiti airspace, which have been intercepted and dealt with.”