Iran Blocks Traffic in Strait of Hormuz over Israeli Strikes in Lebanon

“Iran reportedly violated the ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan in a matter of hours by once again closing the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, ostensibly because Israel has refused to halt its operation against the Hezbollah of Lebanon.

 

Iran’s state-run Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Wednesday morning that two oil tankers were allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz “with permission from Iran” – but the strait was then closed again “in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.”

 

CBS News reported that Iran’s remaining naval forces are still warning ships in the Persian Gulf that they must obtain “permission” from Iran to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, said on Wednesday morning that Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire arrangement. President Donald Trump also said on Wednesday that Lebanon was “not included in the deal” because of the “separate fight” between Israel and Hezbollah.

 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government mediated the ceasefire talks, said the agreement did include Lebanon, and that all hostilities would end “immediately.”

 

Israel launched intense strikes against Hezbollah overnight, inflicting what Katz described as the “largest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered since the Beepers Operation,” the 2024 Israeli operation that killed and injured numerous Hezbollah operatives by detonating their pagers.

 

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun denounced the Israeli strikes as a “new massacre” that would be added to Israel’s “dark record.”

 

“We strongly condemn this crime, affirm the necessity for the international community to assume its responsibilities to stop these repeated attacks, and put an end to this aggressive approach that threatens security and stability in the region,” he said.

 

Iran’s Tasnim news agency on Wednesday cited an IRGC “senior security source” who said Tehran might withdraw from the ceasefire agreement entirely if Israel continues its operation in Lebanon.

 

“Israel has launched brutal attacks on Lebanon since this morning, flagrantly violating the agreement,” the IRGC source claimed.”