Trump Says Iran Must "Behave Properly" ... Iran Vows to Defend the Strait of Hormuz

[Financial News]  

As the U.S. bombed Iran for a fifth straight day on June 15 local time and Iran struck U.S. military bases in the Gulf region, President Trump warned Iran that it must "behave properly."
In response, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and head of the country's former war-ending negotiation team, declared that Iran would defend the Strait of Hormuz.
With the MOU on Ending the War, which the two sides had dramatically reached last month, now effectively in tatters, tensions between them are escalating.
At the event in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, President Trump told reporters that Iran must act properly. However, he did not set a specific deadline for reaching a deal that meets U.S. demands.
Trump said this, adding that Iran is fully aware of the situation.
He had previously threatened in an interview with Fox News the day before that if no peace deal is reached with Iran by next week, the United States would also attack civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges.
At President Trump's direction, the U.S. military bombed military facilities around the Strait of Hormuz for five consecutive days through June 15, and on that day carried out daytime strikes, an unusual move.
As U.S. pressure continued, Iran declared its determination to fight to the end.
In a national address, Ghalibaf said the United States was seeking to overthrow Iran's Islamic system and divide the country, and vowed to resist to the end.
On preserving the MOU on Ending the War, Ghalibaf said, "A memorandum only has meaning when its provisions remain valid and are implemented." He added, "If the United States violates its obligations and Iran gains no benefit, then we have no reason to uphold the agreement either."
He said Iran's top military objective is to "defend the Strait of Hormuz."
Ghalibaf stressed that "Iran's security depends on maintaining an Iranian order in the Strait of Hormuz."
Still, he suggested that Iran will pursue both war and negotiations going forward.
Ghalibaf said military and diplomacy cannot be separated and that neither can be called the only solution. He added that "at this stage, negotiations are not a compromise, but one form of resistance to protect national interests."
dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter