Iran Says Won’t Reopen Hormuz as Long as US Blockade Remains

Iran said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. It accused Washington of violating the ceasefire, as US President Donald Trump extended it to give space for talks. Meanwhile, a new round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon is to take place in Washington on Thursday.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on his X platform, “A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade, and if the Israeli warmongering across all fronts is halted.” He added, “Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”

In Washington, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told reporters that Trump has not set a deadline for receiving an Iranian proposal. UK maritime monitoring agencies said that three merchant vessels reported incidents involving Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz.

The fate of the peace talks expected to be hosted by Pakistan remains uncertain. A previous round of negotiations collapsed after Tehran accused Washington of excessive demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, US Navy Secretary John Phelan has resigned, the Pentagon announced, without providing an explanation for the sudden departure.

The UK also said that it, along with France, will host talks on Wednesday and Thursday with the participation of more than 30 countries to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

On the Lebanese front, a new round of direct talks between Israel and Beirut is scheduled to take place in Washington. These talks come amidst a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which went into effect on Friday, despite mutual accusations of violations. (AFP)