After a turbulent day around the Middle East Gulf, Iran's supreme leader has ruled out any further talks with the US.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the Islamic republic would never again speak with the US unless the country reenters the nuclear deal hashed out under former President Barack Obama in 2015, according to state broadcaster Press TV.
Khamenei's statements came the day after the US blamed Iran for attacks on a Saudi Arabian oil refinery that took more than 5 million barrels of oil per day off the market, shocking the oil and tanker markets, and Iran claimed it had seized a tanker in the Middle East Gulf allegedly smuggling diesel fuel.
Last year, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of a multilateral nuclear deal hashed out in 2015. The deal saw sanctions against Iran eased in exchange for the country limiting its nuclear programme.
The reinstitution of sanctions against Iran are said to be affecting the country's economy, with the rial dropping against both the dollar and the Euro, leading to what Press TV earlier this month called a "tourism boom."
They are also said to be the impetus for tanker attacks in May and June, which culminated in the seizure of the 300,600-dwt Grace 1 (built 1997) by the UK in Gibraltar 4 July.
The ship was held there until mid-August, when it was released, renamed the Adrian Darya 1 and sailed east, allegedly delivering its crude oil cargo to Syria despite assurances they would not.
Iran also purportedly seized the 50,000-dwt Stena Impero (built 2018) in retaliation 19 July. The ship is still being held in the country, but Iranian officials have been claiming for weeks it could be released within days.
The country also claimed on Monday to have seized a tanker smuggling 250,000 litres of diesel to the United Arab Emirates.
