Tehran: The Iranian Foreign Ministry has issued a strong condemnation of the attacks by the US on its commercial shipping fleet, saying they represent a clear violation of international law. The foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the attacks overnight on oil tankers anchored in Iranian waters were a continuation of the US war of aggression on Iran and its blockade on the country's maritime trade.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the statement highlighted that the attacks "constitute a clear violation of Paragraph 4 of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, constitute a war crime, and represent an overt threat to international peace and the security of commercial shipping." The statement further emphasized Iran's determination to decisively defend its sovereignty and national interests against what it described as the US's state terrorism and aggressive actions, including an economic war through continued naval blockade and harassment of commercial vessels.

The statement also warned that the US regime and its allies and partners would be held responsible for the consequences arising from Washington's continued hostile and interventionist actions in the region. The US military claimed in a statement on Saturday that it had attacked one Iranian oil tanker near the island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf, and two others in the Sea of Oman.