Iran clamping down in Strait of Hormuz amid tenuous ceasefire

interior the U.S.-Iran ceasefire that everybody interprets otherwise | near That

The midsection East ceasefire appeared shaky less than two days after it was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, as Israel bombed more targets in Lebanon on Thursday and Iran showed little sign of relinquishing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian negotiators were expected to set off later on Thursday for Pakistan for the first peace talks of the war, where they are due to meet a delegation led by U.S. Vice-President JD Vance on Saturday.

Iran has flexed its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for oil, fertilizer and other resources, demanding tolls for safe passage. Tehran said there would be no ceasefire deal as long as Israel launched its fresh strikes in Lebanon.

In a defiant statement, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran was not seeking war but will not forfeit its rights.

The statement attributed to Khamenei was read on Iranian state TV. He ​has not been seen in public since he took over from his father, who was killed on the first day of ​the war.

Khamenei's statement said Iran will seek retribution for attacks against it and "will take management of the Straits of Hormuz into a new phase." He also vowed to avenge the deaths of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's "martyrs."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy posted a map on Thursday showing alternative shipping routes in the strait to help ships avoid naval mines, the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA said.

The futures contracts for delivery of oil in May or June, typically used as benchmarks for global oil prices, have eased since Trump announced the ceasefire. But the price of physical oil for delivery has shot up to record levels as refiners struggle to meet demand with one-fifth of the global supply knocked out for ⁠a month and ⁠a half.

Hormuz crisis a ticking time bomb for food security, IRC representative says

Just seven ships had passed through the strait in the past 24 hours versus about ​140 normally, ship-tracking data showed. They included one oil products tanker and six dry bulk carriers, data from Kpler, Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Signal Ocean showed.

“If I were a shipowner or operator stuck in the Persian Gulf, I would wait a few days to see how the U.S., Israel and Iran respond to this planned ceasefire," said Roberto Giannetta, chairman of the Hong King Liner Shipping Association. "If it looks likely to be sticking, I may try moving my vessels out in the second week, or in a cluster or convoy together with other ships."

The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) said through a spokesperson on Thursday that there's no international provisions for introducing tolls on the seas, and that tolls would "set a dangerous precedent."

"According ⁠to ⁠the [UN Convention on the Law of the Sea], ​ships enjoy the right of transit passage through ​international ⁠straits. States bordering straits shall not hamper that right or suspend the transit passage," the IMO spokesperson said.

Trump announced the ceasefire on Tuesday night just before a deadline he ​had set to destroy Iran's "whole civilization" unless it unblocked the strait. Both he and War Secretary Pete Hegseth have since said the U.S. Military is prepared to hit Iran harder than before if the ceasefire doesn't hold.

Trump and Hegseth have called on NATO countries to do more to support the war effort, but at a scheduled speech in Washington on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that "nearly without exception, allies are doing everything the United States has asked," through logistical support and the use of European military bases.

"The United Kingdom is leading a coalition of countries that are aligning the military, the political and the economic tools that will be required to ensure free passage through the Strait of Hormuz," added Rutte, referring to a group that Canada has joined.

Rutte said that coalition has to move "step by step," but "with speed," positing that minehunter ships, military frigates and radar technology could be utilized in such an effort.

Israel, which invaded Lebanon ​last month in parallel with the war on Iran to root out the armed group Hezbollah, Tehran's ally, says its actions there are not covered by the ceasefire announced late on Tuesday by Trump. It is a position also held by the White House.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel had agreed to enter into direct talks with Lebanon that would focus on disarming Hezbollah and a possible peace deal. But in his video statement, the Israeli leader said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 303 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded in widespread Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon on Wednesday, adding that the toll was not final and was expected to rise.

The ⁠ministry added that ⁠the total ⁠toll in Lebanon ⁠since ​March 2 was 1,888 dead ​and ⁠more than 6,000 wounded.

Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told BBC Radio that Israel's attacks on Lebanon were a "grave violation" of the ceasefire.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli operations on Thursday, which it said "undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability."

A host of countries, including prominent U.S. Allies Australia, Britain and France, said the cesaefire should extend to Lebanon.

Inside Iran, where the halt to six weeks of U.S. And Iranian airstrikes has been portrayed as victory for the clerical rulers, huge crowds turned out for a commemoration to mark 40 days of mourning for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the war's first day.

State TV showed crowds in Tehran, Kermanshah, Yazd and Zahedan, with mourners in black carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since his ascension.

Though Trump has declared victory, Washington did not achieve the aims he had announced to justify the war at its outset: to eliminate Iran's ability to attack its neighbours, destroy its nuclear program and create conditions that would make it easier for Iranians to topple their government.

Iran still possesses missiles and drones capable of targeting its neighbours and a stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.

The core disputes remain unresolved, as far as publicly known, with each side sticking ‌to competing demands for a deal that could shape the Middle East for generations.

LISTEN l Economist geopolitics editor David Rennie on a state of confusion:

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