US-Iran negotiations to end the war came under severe additional pressure on Sunday after the IRGC announced that Washington's strikes over the previous two days had "violated Clause 1 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding" and "will result in a total halt of all processes."
"From now on, violating vessels will be dealt with more strongly than in the past and will face a crushing response," the IRGC added in a statement shared by Iranian state-run media.
The immediate trigger for the weekend's escalation was the drone attack that the US attributed to Iran on Saturday on the M/T Kiku, a Panama-flagged crude oil tanker that was heading to the port of Fujairah in the UAE.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) responded by striking 10 Iranian military targets in and near the Strait of Hormuz, including surveillance infrastructure, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelaying capabilities.
Tehran then launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters at Salman Port in Bahrain and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near Bahrain International Airport. No fatalities were reported.
