A two-week ceasefire in the Iran War entered its 11th day on Saturday, as Iran reasserted the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, after temporarily declaring the waterway “open.”
After the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X Friday that the Strait of Hormuz would be “fully open for the passage of commercial ships for the remaining duration of the ceasefire period.” President Donald Trump thanked Iran, posting that “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE,” notably referring to the Strait of Hormuz as the “Strait of Iran.” In a follow-up post, Trump said that the U.S. blockade of the waterway would continue.
On Friday afternoon, Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published a rebuke of Araghchi’s tweet, calling it “bad and incomplete” and accusing it of “incorrect ambiguity-creation.” The statement said that foreign minister’s tweet “was published without the necessary and sufficient explanations” and “created various ambiguities regarding the conditions for passage, details, and mechanisms.” As per previous reporting, ships are still required to travel on a “coordinated route” north of Larak Island, hugging the Iranian coastline, and pay tolls for passage.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in a statement released Saturday morning, said that it is determined to enforce “supervision and control” over the Strait of Hormuz until the “definitive end” of the war and the establishment of a “lasting peace.”
Two Iranian IRGC gunboats attacked a commercial vessel about 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman on Saturday morning, according to a UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warning.
Reuters reported on Saturday morning that Iran is broadcasting the following radio message to commercial vessels: “Attention all ships, regarding the failure of the U.S. government to fulfil its commitment in the negotiation, Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz completely closed again. No vessel of any type or nationality is allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported Saturday that the U.S. military is preparing to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters within the coming days
Rejecting western media reports that Iran would consider a deal to give up its nuclear materials, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Friday that transferring Iran’s enriched uranium to the United States “has never been considered an option,” adding that “just as Iran’s soil is sacred, its enriched uranium holds the same significance.” Trump had claimed Thursday that Iran agreed to hand over “nuclear dust” that was buried by last year’s U.S. airstrikes.
Israel’s military said it carried out airstrikes and artillery fire in southern Lebanon on Saturday, targeting individuals crossing south of a newly established “Yellow Line,” despite Israel agreeing to a ceasefire. Israel was reported to have continued home demolitions in southern Lebanon, with at least 10 demolitions carried out overnight, including three blasts whose shockwaves were felt in Beirut. One UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded on Saturday, in an incident denounced by the UN. In a statement, UNIFIL attributed the attacks to “non-governmental entities.” France’s President Emmanuel Macron said that “all indications point to Hezbollah being responsible for this attack,” while Hezbollah denied responsibility for the incident.
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