Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, Sep 27: Chief Commander of Iran’s Army Amir Hatami said on Sunday that the war imposed by the United States and Israel on Iran had not ended and warned that the “enemy” should remain prepared for further “severe blows” from the Iranian armed forces.

“The war is not over ... Although the aggressive enemy has suffered heavy blows, it must remain prepared to receive further crushing blows from Iran's armed forces,” Hatami said at a national festival in Tehran, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Hatami also urged countries in the region to recognise that cooperation with the United States did not guarantee their security.

He said regional security should instead be protected from within by the countries of the region, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), which oversees maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, warned ship-owners against being forced by “some charterers” to use what it described as “illegal” routes through the strategic waterway.

In a post on its X account early Sunday, the authority said it had received reports that some charterers were forcing vessels to use illegal routes.

“This risks financial and life losses for the vessel, owner, master, and crew, and seriously restricts its future Strait of Hormuz passage,” the PGSA said.

It urged ship-owners to remain vigilant against such actions by charterers, warning that those found violating the rules would be placed on the Non-Compliance List.

“If proven, the charterers will be added to the Non-Compliance List, and all their vessels' passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be restricted,” it said.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as US bases and assets in the region, while also tightening its control over the Strait of Hormuz.

On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war in the region. Under the agreement, the two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on August 17, to reach a final agreement.

However, the fate of the talks remains unclear amid a series of recent escalations between the two countries.