The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass, in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
New attacks on the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes, threatened to deepen the global energy crisis and push the countries into renewed conflict as war in the Middle East entered its eighth week.
A fragile ceasefire is due to run out by Wednesday. Iran said it had received new proposals from the U.S., and Pakistani mediators were working to arrange another round of direct negotiations.
Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard gunboats opened fire on a tanker, and an unknown projectile hit a container vessel, damaging some containers, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it summoned Iran’s ambassador over the “serious incident” of firing on two India-flagged merchant ships, especially after Iran earlier let several India-bound ships through.
For Iran, the strait’s closure — imposed after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28 during talks over Tehran’s nuclear program — is perhaps its most powerful weapon, threatening the world economy and inflicting political pain on U.S. President Donald Trump. For the United States, the blockade keeps up pressure and could strangle Iran’s already weakened economy.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued defiant remarks on Saturday, saying the country’s navy stands “ready to inflict bitter defeats on its enemies.” He has not been seen in public since being elevated to the post following his father’s death in Israel’s opening barrage.
On Friday, Iran announced the strait’s reopening to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and Lebanon. The reopening caused oil prices to fall.
Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz open. It’s estimated the conflict removed 500 million barrels of oil from the global market, and ramping production back up will take time. While some analysts say the conflict could bolster Canada’s reputation as a reliable energy provider, they still see significant uncertainty ahead.
Meanwhile, Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ports “will remain in full force” regardless of what Iran does until a deal is reached, including about Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. forces have sent 23 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, U.S. Central Command said Saturday.
Even as the U.S.-Iran ceasefire appeared to hold, the back-and-forth over the strait highlights how easily it could unravel.
Pakistan announces progress toward new deal
The renewed standoff over the strait came hours after Pakistani Foreign Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar said his country was working to “bridge” differences between the U.S. and Iran. Pakistan is expected to host a second round of negotiations early next week.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said “new proposals” from the U.S. had been put forward during a visit to Iran by Pakistan’s army chief and were being reviewed.
But Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks because the Americans “have not abandoned their maximalist position.”
Despite the escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani officials say the U.S. and Iran are still moving closer to a deal ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline.
Andrew Chang explains what’s keeping the U.S. and Iran from reaching a peace agreement following six weeks of ongoing war and a recent marathon negotiating session in Pakistan.
Images provided by The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images
Questions linger about Lebanon truce
The ceasefire in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to an agreement between Iran and the U.S. Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Turkey, Dar said the ceasefire in Lebanon was a positive sign.
He noted that fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah had been a key sticking point before talks in Islamabad ended “very close” to an agreement last weekend.
Even though mediators were optimistic, it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a truce it did not play a role in negotiating, which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.
Trump said in a social media post that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
People displaced by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon are attempting to return to their homes by crossing destroyed bridges despite advice from the Lebanese government to wait.
The U.S. State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defence.
Shortly before Trump’s post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.
He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90 per cent of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.
In Beirut, displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.
Under the cover of a shaky 10-day ceasefire with Israel, Lebanese civilians streamed south to survey the damage after six weeks of war, despite Israeli warnings not to return to southern Lebanon.
French soldier killed in Lebanon
The Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.
On Saturday, a French soldier who was part of international forces stationed in southern Lebanon was killed, President Emmanuel Macron said, adding that evidence suggests Hezbollah was responsible for the attack.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
Three other soldiers were wounded and have been evacuated, Macron said in a post on X, urging the Lebanese government to act against the alleged perpetrators. The soldiers were part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a peacekeeping mission in the country’s south.
The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.
