Tehran: The Foreign Ministry spokesperson has issued a sharp warning to the United States, stating that Iran's hands are 'not tied' in response to American 'breach of commitments' and that Iranian forces will firmly repel any military aggression. Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday, Esmaeil Baqaei addressed the status of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US, the recent US military strikes on Iranian coastal areas, and the future of negotiations.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Baqaei said that Iran's approach to the understanding was based on a strict principle of reciprocity, stressing that Tehran would suspend its own commitments in response to US non-compliance. 'In response to the other side's bad faith and breach of commitments, our hands are not tied,' he said. 'Our fighters will respond with full force and power to US aggressions, and in other clauses of the memorandum, wherever we had reciprocal commitments, we have not implemented them.'

'We said from the very beginning: commitment in exchange for commitment. We will implement our obligations as long as the other side adheres to theirs. When the other side violated, we also refrained from implementing our commitments wherever necessary,' he added. When asked about recent US military strikes near Iran's coastline, Baqaei vowed that the Armed Forces are prepared to defend every inch of the nation's territory.

'There is no doubt about defending the country. Our Armed Forces will respond with all their might,' he said. 'These actions are all instances of aggression. All these attacks are illegal. When they hit, they get hit.' Asked about the status of talks, he said, 'For now, we are focused on defense.'