Iran reimposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, just hours after declaring the waterway open to commercial traffic. At least two tankers reported being struck by gunfire as they attempted to cross the strait, with the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency stating that a vessel was fired upon by two gunboats linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards off Oman. The captain said the gunboats opened fire without issuing a radio challenge; the vessel and crew were reported safe.
The move dashed hopes for diplomacy, as Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the navy was ready to inflict "new bitter defeats" on its enemies. The US-Iranian ceasefire is set to expire within days, and Iran's foreign ministry cast doubt on US President Donald Trump's hopes for a second round of peace talks, revealing no date has been set and that a framework of understanding must be agreed first. Trump played down the situation, telling reporters Iran had "got a little cute," but that the US would not be "blackmailed."
Maritime trackers had earlier shown eight tankers transiting the strait in the first major movement since the conflict erupted seven weeks ago. However, Iran's armed forces soon resumed control, accusing the US of violating the ceasefire agreement with its blockade east of the strait. Both sides accused each other of "piracy."
Meanwhile, the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, agreed on Thursday, was still holding on Saturday. A French soldier was killed and three others wounded while clearing a road in southern Lebanon in an attack that peacekeepers and French officials said was likely carried out by Hezbollah. President Emmanuel Macron identified the deceased as Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio and demanded that Lebanese authorities arrest the perpetrators. Hezbollah denied responsibility.
