Tehran, Iran \u2013 Iran has indicated that there will be no direct communication between US and Iranian military officials as part of a hotline proposed by Washington designed to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Hossein Mohebi downplayed reports on Friday of direct communications being established between the US and Iran to manage the strategically important waterway.<\/p>\n
It came as the US and Iran exchanged fire again on Friday and Saturday<\/a> after commercial vessels sailing outside a channel designated by Tehran were targeted by unknown perpetrators.<\/p>\n \u201cClaims by American officials regarding the establishment of a direct line between Iran and the United States concerning the Strait of Hormuz\u201d are completely false, Mohebi wrote on X.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has not happened and will not happen \u2026 The Strait of Hormuz is Iranian territory and has no connection to the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Channels of communication<\/p>\n Mohebi\u2019s X post did not elaborate on whether Tehran only rejected direct military-to-military contact with Washington, or whether a separate channel led by civilian officials would operate.<\/p>\n Vice President JD Vance told media on Monday after a meeting between Washington and Tehran officials in Switzerland that a \u201cchannel on the Iranian side\u201d for reducing conflict in the Gulf would be established. He also implied that direct military-to-military communications had already been agreed between the two sides.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [Iran] were like, \u2018OK, fine, we\u2019ll send somebody from the IRGC to go hang out in Doha with somebody from CENTCOM,\u2019 and that\u2019s how we\u2019re going to settle a lot of these disputes,\u201d Vance told UK media outlet UnHerd. The IRGC is considered a \u201cforeign terrorist organisation\u201d by the US government.<\/p>\n On Friday, Iranian state-run broadcaster Press TV reported that a communication line had been established between the two sides in the Strait of Hormuz after the conclusion of the Switzerland talks.<\/p>\n The goal was to \u201chelp prevent incidents that could trigger military escalation\u201d and to implement the provisions of Article 5 of the MoU, it said.<\/p>\n Article 5 deals with resuming commercial maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, after major prolonged disruptions to the waterway since the US-Israeli launched their military offensive on Iran on 28 February.<\/p>\n Press TV also stated that Iran and Oman will \u201cdetermine the future management and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz, in consultation with other Persian Gulf littoral states and in accordance with international law and the sovereign rights of the littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz\u201d.<\/p>\n New clashes<\/p>\n The Singapore-flagged container ship, Ever Lovely, was hit by an unknown projectile late Thursday as it navigated a route through the Strait of Hormuz recommended by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). It had been stranded at sea for over 100 days after unloading cargo in an Iraqi port.<\/p>\n US Central Command said on Friday that military facilities on Iran\u2019s southern coastline were targeted \u201cas a powerful response to yesterday\u2019s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz\u201d.<\/p>\n Bahrain faced drone strikes on Saturday morning after the US attack \u2013 the first exchange of fire between the US and Iran since the MoU was signed on 17 June<\/a>.<\/p>\n Iran has demanded that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz must use a route designated by its armed forces \u2013 close to Iran\u2019s shores \u2013 or risk being turned back or targeted.<\/p>\n Vance on Friday warned Tehran that \u201cviolence will be met with violence\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they have disagreements about how the MoU is being applied, they can pick up the phone,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n