Iran re-closes the Strait of Hormuz UPDATE: ceasefire agreed to in Lebanon

“Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz Friday instead of heading to Switzerland for nuclear negotiations, citing Israel’s refusal to pull forces out of southern Lebanon and US forces’ ongoing presence in the region,” reports The New York Post. “In a statement read over maritime radio channels, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US was in violation of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed Wednesday.”

The IRGC said, “Since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are among the main conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met. All ships are requested, for the sake of their security and safety, not to approach the Strait of Hormuz. Any vessel that defies this directive will be targeted.”

As The New York Post notes,

US Central Command said Thursday it had formally lifted its two-month blockade on Iranian ports. It was not immediately clear what the IRGC meant by the embargo removal not being “complete.”

Shortly after the IRGC announcement, a US official claimed Israel and Hezbollah had reached a cease-fire agreement, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming Thursday that the Jewish state’s forces would continue hunting terrorists.

“We will restore security and prosperity to northern towns,” Netanyahu said. “That requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon.”

The Israel Defense Forces also published a new map showing an expanded zone of occupation, deploying troops more than 6 miles across the Lebanese border, including north of the Litani River.

The memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 promised that America and Iran, “along with their allies,” would respect Lebanon’s territory and sovereignty and end all military action there.

The past closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut the supply of oil and fertilizer and increased gas prices, reducing food production in Third World countries like Sudan.

The Iran War drove up energy prices and resulted in daily blackouts in major cities in Pakistan. Pakistan used to get oil from Iran and the United Arab Emirates through ships that passed through the Persian Gulf, but it didn’t after the war began. Ships stopped passing through the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz due to Iranian attacks and a U.S. blockade. Pakistan borders Iran, but there is no cross-border pipeline from Iran to Pakistan, and desert separates Iran’s oil-producing regions from Pakistan.

The Iran War has driven up the cost of fertilizer for farmers. “Nearly one-third of the world’s seaborne fertilizer trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz,” and that flow was largely cut off by the war.

Egypt was also deeply affected by the Iran War. Its capital, the great city of Cairo, went dark early due because the Egyptian government ordered businesses to close early to conserve fuel, which has become much more expensive due to the war. “Soaring fuel costs due to US-Israel war on Iran have pushed the Egyptian government to issue a month-long early-closing order. Small businesses are scrambling to adapt,” reported Africa News.

UPDATE: Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a renewed ceasefire, so maybe the Strait of Hormuz will reopen after all.