Iran lawmaker says US ‘desperate and confused’ as tensions rise over Hormuz

Iranian lawmaker Esmail Kowsari has accused the United States of becoming “desperate and confused” in its confrontation with Tehran, citing what he described as shifting positions from Washington. “One day it talks about a ceasefire and an agreement, and the next day about the Strait of Hormuz, an economic blockade and military action,” Kowsari said, according to Iranian state media.

Kowsari acknowledged that Iran had suffered losses in US attacks but said Washington had failed to achieve its broader objective. “We were harmed in the US attacks and we are not saying that we were not harmed,” he said. “But the US could not achieve its goal of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and bringing to power the system it wanted.”

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee chairman Ebrahim Azizi said the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen without Tehran's approval, as tensions in the Persian Gulf remain high. “The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen without the will of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Azizi said on Thursday, according to the parliament's ICANA news agency.

“The conditions in the Persian Gulf have changed,” he added. The comments came as Israel also issued a warning over any potential Iranian attack. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that an Iranian attack on Israel would trigger strikes against Iranian infrastructure, including energy facilities.

“An Iranian attack on Israel will free us from all constraints,” Katz said. “We will strike all infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, and return Iran to the Stone Age and darkness.” Katz said Israel was “well prepared, defensively and offensively, for every possibility”.