Amid the sound of gunfire... Tehran scraps the negotiation track and declares a phase of "open defense"

Iran announced the suspension of all its commitments under the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad, accusing the United States of violating the terms of the agreement and launching hostile acts that pushed Tehran to shift its course from negotiation to defensive confrontation.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said Washington had "violated all of its obligations under the memorandum of understanding," stressing that his country had in turn halted the implementation of its own commitments, and emphasizing that "Iran’s approach at the current stage is based on the firm defense of the homeland."

Abadi added that his country had been engaged in a negotiating track, but that the American escalation, according to him, led to the collapse of the understandings, noting that the Iranian response proved that "aggressive acts will not achieve their objectives."

In the same context, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, escalated his rhetoric toward the Security Council, accusing it of "standing by while what he described as war crimes committed by the United States and the targeting of civilians inside Iran" took place, and calling for international action to halt the escalation.

These developments come at a time when international calls to reduce tensions have intensified, as China and Pakistan urged Washington and Tehran to quickly implement a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table, in an attempt to contain the escalating crisis.

US President Donald Trump had announced on July 9 that the ceasefire agreement with Iran was no longer in effect, while Tehran declared on July 12 the closure of the Strait of Hormuz until what it described as American intervention in the region comes to an end, raising fears over the repercussions of the confrontation for regional security and international shipping.