TEHRAN, Iran: An Iran Hormuz meme posted Sunday by Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused the United States of causing shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and then blaming Tehran.
Baghaei posted an image from “The Simpsons” on X showing Homer and Bart watching a spreading fire. He used the scene to mock what he described as Washington’s handling of the maritime crisis.
Baghaei claimed commercial shipping through the strait had operated normally before hostilities began on February 28. He argued that US military action had disrupted tanker traffic, trade and energy markets.
The spokesman said Washington was now trying to shift responsibility for those economic consequences onto Iran. His comments reflect Tehran’s position that US and Israeli military action caused the instability around the waterway.
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The post came as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz remained high following exchanges between Iranian forces and the US military. Recent clashes have included US strikes on Iranian-linked tankers and Iranian claims of attacks on US-linked vessels.
Read: US Strikes 3 Iranian Tankers, Citing Warship Attacks
Separately, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Sunday that Tehran planned to announce a restricted zone extending from the US naval blockade line into parts of the Persian Gulf. The planned zone has also been reported by international news agencies.
