Iran blasts US blockade while Houthi attacks halt Yemen port operation

Iranian foreign ministry has framed the turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz the fallout of the US and Israel's "illegal actions" while condemning the Pentagon's naval blockade as an act of aggression.

This after the Islamic Republic's deputy foreign minister rejects US President Donald Trump's remarks of turning the strait into a US territory following Iran's defeat.

Iran is putting the blame the US and Israel for causing instability by exploiting the Hormuz strait and nearby areas to orchestrate their attacks.

The US maritime blockade against Iranian ports has been described by Tehran as a breach to the peace memorandum.

Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, posts on X that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed and opened only under Iran's authority, in response to Trump saying he would soon declare it a US territory.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman points out the waterway was "fully open" before the US and Israel conducted "illegal military operations, and maintains Iran, as a littoral state, can rightfully take all necessary actions to safeguard national interests and security.

He also reveals substantial progress has been reached in Iran-Oman negotiations after the two sides inked a deal on a navigation scheme for ships transiting the strait.

Meanwhile, an Iranian military commander says on Saturday that Qatar has captured three Iranian bomber pilots who were shot down in March during a combat mission against a US base in the Gulf state.

Amid Tehran's public demand seeking their release, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari says the country categorically denies claims regarding the detention of the aircrew concerned, stating contacts have been established with them after they violated Qatar's airspace and authorities confirmed the trajectory of the targeting.

Authorities are carrying out operations to search for

the remains of the aviators.

The spokesman confirms Qatar has communicated with Iran over coordinating the handover of a fourth pilot who was found dead.

In the Red Sea, escalated deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels have halted operations at Yemen's Mokha Port, a crucial entry point for commercial goods and supplies bound for government-held areas.

The operator of the port in southwestern Taiz province tells reporters there was direct shelling of the pier and wooden vessels with five missiles, alongside an attempted targeting by a drone.

He says some berths, warehouses and the port's own maintenance workshops were damaged.

The initial losses in the first three stages of offensives are estimated at about $16 million, and Friday evening's strikes will add a large amount to the figure.

Houthi claims the operation targeted military buildups and weapons depots of so-called Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

Yemeni authorities refutes that account, condemning the militia's new "terrorist aggression targeting a vital civilian facility."

{NO SIGNOFF}

{Iran blasts US blockade while Houthi attacks halt Yemen port operations}

{TAG:}