Reported from the source

Quick summary: Iran has indicated it may take permanent control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping lane, citing ongoing attacks by the U.S. and Israel. Iranian officials stated the waterway “cannot be as it was before” and that any blockade is linked to the conflict. Meanwhile, Poland has rejected calls to send troops or warships to the region, and Qatar reported repelling a suspected Iranian missile attack amid the ongoing conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Kalibaf has indicated a potential for permanent control over the passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial link for global oil exports between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. In an interview aired Tuesday on state television, Kalibaf stated that the connection “cannot be as it was before,” asserting that the U.S. and Israel had committed a “strategic mistake” by attacking Iran with fighter jets and missiles. He declared Iran’s actions in the strait as its “undeniable right” and that the “recklessness and mistakes of the U.S. and Israel” have transformed the strait’s strategic potential into an “active reality” that Iran must exploit. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi echoed this stance, communicating to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via Telegram that any blockade could not be lifted independently of the war waged by Israel and the U.S. against the Islamic Republic. Araghtschi also called on the international community to condemn the attacks on Iran. Separately, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that his government would not send troops – including land, air, or naval forces – to Iran. Tusk stated that Poland has other obligations within NATO, and the conflict in the Middle East does not directly affect Poland’s security, a position he said is understood by allies, including the Americans. This follows Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s rejection on Monday of a demand from U.S. President Donald Trump for NATO states to dispatch warships to open the Strait of Hormuz. In the Persian Gulf, Qatar’s military reported repelling a suspected Iranian missile attack in the morning. The Qatari Defense Ministry announced the incident on platform X, though it did not explicitly state the origin of the projectiles. Debris from an intercepted missile caused a fire in an industrial area, according to the Interior Ministry. The U.S. and Israel have been at war with Iran for over two weeks, during which Iranian forces have repeatedly attacked Israel and U.S.-allied states in the Persian Gulf with missiles and drones.

Source: www.handelsblatt.com