Atmosphere in Iran remains highly charged after Ayatollah’s funeral and escalation of grievances with US

On Tuesday, Iran attacked a new southern route the US attempted to create through the strait of Hormuz, arguing it was an attempt to undermine the memorandum of understanding Photograph: Reuters View image in fullscreen On Tuesday, Iran attacked a new southern route the US attempted to create through the strait of Hormuz, arguing it was an attempt to undermine the memorandum of understanding Photograph: Reuters Analysis Atmosphere in Iran remains highly charged after Ayatollah’s funeral and escalation of grievances with US Patrick Wintour in Tehran World is witnessing a turning point, says ministry spokesperson, as Iran seeks to assert independence amid rising tensions Before a foreign ministry press briefing at the Grand Hotel Tehran, the assembled reporters were asked to stand for the national anthem that duly blared from fuzzy speakers. At the podium, the ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, claimed the world was witnessing a turning point in the history of Shia Islam. A century from now, he claimed, the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be revered as a second Imam Hussain, the martyred grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Donald Trump, meanwhile, would be seen as a latterday Yazid, the tyrannical 7th century caliph. Normally one of the most level-headed diplomats in the foreign ministry, Baghaei portrayed Iran as the victim of an epochal struggle to protect its independence. Although the streets outside were returning to a form of normality after Khamenei’s funeral procession, the deep wave of religiosity and patriotism it unleashed had not abated, only moved on to Najaf in Iraq, where the supreme leader’s coffin was taken to the shrine of Imam Ali. The atmosphere in Iran could not be more highly charged. So a foul-tempered Donald Trump picked a particularly sensitive moment at the Nato summit in Turkey to describe Iranians as “garbage”, “cancer”, “devils” and “scum” . He declared further talks with Iran a waste of time. It is tempting to see the latest military flare-up, including Tuesday’s exchange of fire in the strait of Hormuz , as just the product of an unfortunate juxtaposition. Trump, aggrieved at Europe’s supposed free-riding at Nato, was generally lashing out; Iran, gripped by grief and religious fervour, was asserting itself as “a brave and resilient nation that harbours no fear of threats or bluster”. On that basis, optimists may hope the current mood may dissipate like a dark passing cloud. After all, Trump left the door open for further talks, and spoke of Israel leaving Lebanon, a key Iranian demand. Unfortunately, such optimism may be misplaced. It seems just as likely that it is not Iran’s diplomats but the military who are now making the decisions, since all the supposed confidence-building measures have fallen flat. There may be no circuit breaker to end the cycle of Iranian attacks on shipping in the strait of Hormuz, US strikes on the southern Iranian coastline and Iranian counter-attacks on US military bases in Ba