Get you up to speed: Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again after Israeli strikes on Lebanon
Iran confirmed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that “only Iranian ships and vessels coming from Iran are passing through.” This decision followed accusations from Iranian Naval officials that Israel had launched a strike against Lebanon, leading to a response from the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Iranian state media reported that two oil tankers succeeded in passing through the Strait of Hormuz during a temporary ceasefire, which was subsequently ended after Iranian officials accused Israel of aggression against Lebanon. Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, stated, “the movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz must be immediately stopped.”
Iran has confirmed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only Iranian ships and those arriving from Iran to pass through, following accusations against Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement. Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “We will achieve them,” referring to his goals in Lebanon, promising to pursue them through either agreement or renewed fighting.
Only two oil tankers made it through Strait of Hormuz before it was shut again | News World
A view of the vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran (Picture: Anadolu)
Iran was quick to shut down Donald Trump’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is now officially open.
Just two oil tankers managed to slip through the disputed region during a tense-as-it-was-short ceasefire agreement, according to Iranian state media.
The Strait was shut again after Iranian Naval officials accused Israel of launching a strike against Lebanon.
A source in the Iranian Navy confirmed the Strait’s closure, telling state broadcaster PressTV ‘We have closed the Strait of Hormuz, and currently, only Iranian ships and vessels coming from Iran are passing through.
‘Only two oil tankers were able to benefit from the ceasefire and pass through the Strait of Hormuz before ‘Israel’ violated the agreement,’ he added.
Another senior Iranian official insisted that ‘Iran will punish Israel for its aggression against Lebanon and violations of the ceasefire.’
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At least 112 people were killed in Israeli strikes over Lebanon after the ceasefire agreement, their health ministry has claimed.
The latest count for Wednesday includes widespread strikes across central Beirut that came without warning, also wounding at least 837, one of the deadliest days in this latest war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. It is not the final count.
A first responder emerges through the smoke at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut (Picture: AP)
Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said in a post on X: ‘In response to the brutal Israeli aggression on Lebanon, the movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz must be immediately stopped, and a strong, decisive strike must be launched to prevent further attacks by the Israeli entity.’
The Iranian official paid tribute to the Lebanese people, asserting that “we must not leave them alone for a second.’
Emergency workers are looking to find survivors and sort through debris (Picture: Reuters)
Rezaei emphasised the need for clarity on the terms of engagement stating, ‘Either there is a ceasefire on all fronts, or there is no ceasefire on any front.’
The US has insisted Lebanon is not part of any ceasefire deal.
It came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he ‘has more goals to complete’ in the country.
‘We will achieve them,’ he promises, ‘either through agreement, or through renewed fighting.’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rebutted Iran’s reports that the Strait was closed insisting there is an ‘uptick in traffic’ today and Trump expects it to be ‘reopened immediately’.
‘That is his expectation, it has been relayed to him privately… these reports publicly are false.’
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targets the southern suburbs of Beirut, Dahiyeh
(Picture: EPA)
It came after President Donald Trump went from threatening Iran with ‘annihilation’ to proclaiming that the battered Islamic Republic’s leadership had presented a ‘workable’ plan that led him to agree to a 14-day ceasefire.
‘The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East,’ Trump said in a social media post announcing the temporary ceasefire.
It came about 90 minutes before his deadline for Tehran to open the critical Strait of Hormuz or see its power plants and other critical infrastructure obliterated.
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