Iran Vows to Keep Strait of Hormuz Closed While US Embargo Persists

Iran has reiterated its stance on not reopening the Strait of Hormuz as long as a US naval blockade remains in place, a vow that holds despite a ceasefire extension, with the Gulf nation having seized two ships attempting to cross the strategic waterway.

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The seized ships were identified as the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, with Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards forcing them to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow gateway for about one-fifth of the world's oil.

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US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced late Wednesday that it had directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of its own blockade against Iran, in a bid to ramp up pressure on the Iranian economy.

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US President Donald Trump had stated on Tuesday that he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks, with Iran welcoming the efforts but making no other comment on Trump's announcement.

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Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf emphasized that a complete ceasefire is only meaningful if it is not violated through a naval blockade, stating that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid such a blatant violation of the ceasefire.

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Oil prices experienced a jump of four percent before easing on Thursday, with the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbing 4.06 percent to $96.73 per barrel at around 0025 GMT, and international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rising 3.62 percent to $105.63.

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Trump expressed his desire to give time for Iran's "fractured" leadership to come up with a proposal, with talks potentially resuming in Pakistan within two to three days, despite Iran not confirming participation and Vice President JD Vance putting his travel to Islamabad on hold.

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Trump also claimed that Iran, at his request, had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over massive anti-government protests, but Iran's judiciary described his remarks as "false news", stating that the women had never faced the death penalty.

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Panama's foreign ministry confirmed the seizure of the MSC Francesca, denouncing it as a "serious attack on maritime security" and an "unnecessary escalation", with UK-based maritime security monitors reporting incidents involving gunboats in the strait.

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A container ship reported being fired upon by a Revolutionary Guards boat 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing damage to the bridge but no casualties, according to monitor UKMTO.

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The US Navy, under orders from Trump, is attempting to block vessels heading to or from Iranian ports, with the Pentagon announcing the sudden departure of Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on Wednesday, giving no reason for his immediate leave.

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Iran has said that vessels must seek permission to leave or enter the Gulf through the strait in retaliation for being attacked, having earlier promised free passage during the ceasefire but returning to defiance after Trump announced the blockade.

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The US Defense Department reported intercepting and boarding a "stateless sanctioned" vessel on Tuesday, which AFP has identified as one linked to Iranian activity, with both sides accusing each other of ceasefire breaches.

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Following the ceasefire with Iran, the United States helped broker a truce between Israel and Lebanon, including Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim movement that had fired rockets into Israel in revenge for the attacks on its patron.

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Despite the declared truce, Israeli strikes killed five more people on Wednesday, according to Lebanese media, with journalist Amal Khalil and her fellow reporter Zeinab Faraj caught in an Israeli strike near the border.

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French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of a second French soldier, who had been wounded in a weekend ambush against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon blamed on Hezbollah, with a first soldier shot dead in the Saturday ambush.

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Israel and Lebanon, which have no diplomatic relations, will hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, with Lebanon requesting a one-month extension of the ceasefire and seeking an end to Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present.

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Lebanese authorities reported that Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 people since the start of the war, with the sensitive nature of the talks prompting a Lebanese official to speak on condition of anonymity.