Strait of Hormuz closed again, Tehran threatens further steps

Iran's military command announced today that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed again because of Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the "ill will" of the United States. International news agencies reported the announcement. Tehran also said it would take further steps if Israeli aggression continued. US Vice President J. D. Vance told Fox News that there was no evidence the strait had been closed.

US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding remotely on Wednesday, opening the way to a final peace deal. The memorandum includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel is conducting an offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Despite the ceasefire, 16 people were killed and another 12 injured in new Israeli strikes in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

The US-Israeli war against Iran has crippled shipping in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies and roughly a third of global seaborne fertilizer shipments. The closure of the strait sent oil and petroleum product prices soaring.