Iran’s military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday, its military command said, hours after reopening it and with numerous commercial ships abandoning attempts to pass through the vital waterway. The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was “very close”. On Friday, Tehran had declared the strait, which usually carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, open after a ceasefire was agreed in Lebanon to halt Israel’s war with Hezbollah.
This prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging but, with Trump insisting that a US naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was concluded, Tehran threatened to shutter the strait once more. Then, late on Saturday morning, Iran’s central military command said that, in response to the US blockade, “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status” and “is under strict management and control of the armed forces”. The announcement came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships making a dash through the narrow waterway.
Adding to the confusion, British marine security agency the UKMTO reported at 0920 GMT that a tanker northeast of Oman said it had been approached by two Iranian Revolutionary Guards ships without radio warning and fired upon. The ship and crew were safe, it said, and authorities investigating. Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Turkey, Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the “Americans cannot impose their will over Iran” through with a siege.
All Zim News – Bringing you the latest news and updates.
