The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic issued a statement on Thursday, July 16, 2026, describing the reimposition of the US naval blockade on Iran as “another breach of the Islamabad Memorandum.” The ministry further accused the US of committing war crimes over what it described as “attacks on civilian infrastructure and facilities.”
According to the statement, the strikes targeting the barracks of the Army’s 388th Brigade in Bampur, Iranshahr, the Hoveyzeh wheat storage silo, and the Chabahar maritime control tower were cited as instances of “war crimes.”
Claims regarding the targeting of the wheat silo facility in Hoveyzeh were rejected by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also noted in its statement that this marked the third time in the past year that the United States had launched attacks against Iran while active negotiations were underway.
Addressing regional nations, the Iranian government urged them not to allow their land, sea, or airspace to be used to conduct attacks against Iran. Tehran emphasized its desire for “understanding and cooperation” with regional countries without an American presence or intervention.
Coinciding with the release of the statement, Mohammad Saleh Joukar, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s Internal Affairs Commission, said that countries in the Persian Gulf region must learn from the “experience of the Ramadan War” and refrain from placing their territory and coastlines at the disposal of US forces. He warned that such actions would incur a “heavy cost” for those countries.
