Iran reimposes Hormuz lockdown
IN a war-disrupted region that holds approximately two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves, diplomacy and new alliances will ensure passage through the crucial byway of fuel supplies.
Daily TribuneIN a war-disrupted region that holds approximately two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves, diplomacy and new alliances will ensure passage through the crucial byway of fuel supplies.
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of Jean-Michel CORNU and David LORY/agence france-presse
Iran’s central military command announced on Saturday it would resume “strict management” of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington.
In a statement read on state television, the military command said Washington had broken a promise by continuing its naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iran’s ports.
Until the United States restores freedom of movement for all vessels visiting Iran, “the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled,” the statement said.
The move was in response to President Donald Trump’s statement late Friday that he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran was not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, though Tehran threatened to close the vital waterway once again if the US blockade continued.
The ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday.
“Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if the ceasefire would be extended.
Asked about a potential deal with Iran, Trump said, “I think it’s going to happen.”
Key differences remain between the demands of the United States and Iran, after both earlier failed to reach an agreement in talks in Pakistan.
Trump told reporters there were “not going to be tolls” imposed by Iran on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz — something the Islamic Republic put forward in previous peace plans.
Beijing rejoices
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping was “very happy” about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, historic,” Trump said, referring to the planned summit in Beijing in May.
Enriched uranium stays
The US President said a broader US-Iran peace deal was “very close” and that Tehran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium — a key sticking point in the negotiations.
Trump insisted that Washington and Tehran jointly transfer the enriched uranium stored in Iran to the United States under the plan to end the war, which began on 28 February.
“We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” Trump said at an event in Arizona.
Iran’s foreign ministry, however, said its stockpile of uranium would not be transferred “anywhere.”
It also warned that if US warships intercepted vessels coming from Iranian ports, the Strait of Hormuz would be closed again.
“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X, adding that passage through the waterway would require authorization from Iran.
“What they call a naval blockade will definitely be met with an appropriate response from Iran,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, calling the naval blockade “a violation of the ceasefire” it struck with Washington for a fortnight to enable the peace talks.
US forces have so far directed 21 ships to turn around since the blockade began last week, the US Central Command posted on X overnight, accompanied by an image of an American guided-missile destroyer patrolling the Arabian Sea.