Middle East crisis live: Iran warns it will close strait of Hormuz if US blockade continues | US-Israel war on Iran
important events
Ambassador says Britain will make ‘wide-ranging’ contribution to Hormuz mission
Britain will make a “wide-ranging military contribution” to an international mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz commercial waterway. said the British ambassador to the United States.
Christian Turner‘s commitment comes amid long-standing concerns about the state of Britain’s armed forces and warnings of underfunding.
The multinational mission led by Britain and France aims to provide reassurance to ships using the critical waterway once the Iran conflict ends, Turner said at an event in Washington.
PA Media also reported that the initiative was announced at talks in Paris with the participation of approximately 50 countries; Turner said this signals global determination to avoid tolls or restrictions on the shipping route normally used to transport one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas resources.
So far, about 12 countries have committed to participating in the mission.
This move became a laughing stock Donald TrumpHe used this as a new opportunity to criticize NATO as “useless” for refusing to support his attack against Iran.
Opening summary
Welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
Iranian temporarily reopened Strait of Hormuz Following the ceasefire agreement on Friday Israel And LebanonThis raised hopes for a broader peace, but Tehran warned it would close the waterway again if the US naval blockade of Iranian ports continued.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araqchi It announced Thursday that the global energy chokepoint is open to all commercial ships for the remainder of the 10-day period agreed to in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Donald Trump He said Iran’s move was “a big and bright day for the world.”
However, subsequent statements and statements by both sides created uncertainty about how quickly shipping could return to normal, and some ships were observed making unsuccessful attempts to cross the strait on Friday before returning.
Trump said the US blockade of ships going to Iranian ports will continue “until our agreement with Iran is 100 percent complete.”
Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Muhammad Bagher Galibaf He countered that the Strait of Hormuz “will not remain open” if the US blockade continues and that Trump made numerous false claims on Friday.
Trump later said he could end the ceasefire with Iran and “start dropping bombs again” if a long-term agreement to end the war is not reached by Wednesday, when the ceasefire expires.
In other developments:
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World leaders welcomed Iran’s announcement that the waterway would reopen. UN chief António Guterres called the move “a step in the right direction” and called for “the full restoration of international navigation rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz, respected by all.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who co-chaired a virtual summit attended by nearly 50 countries on the issue on Friday, said the reopening should be permanent.
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Oil prices fell after Iran’s Hormuz statement amid hopes that energy supplies could restart after nearly two months of disruption. Brent crude oil, the benchmark for globally traded oil, fell below $90 per barrel, a decline of 10%.
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Trump says US ‘prohibited’ Israel from bombing Lebanon and “Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon.” Minutes before Trump’s post on social media, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uploaded a video address stating that Israel is not done with Hezbollah yet.
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Lebanese army claims Israel “several violations” of ceasefire Thousands of displaced families began heading towards southern Lebanon on Friday morning. More than 2,100 people have died and more than 1 million people have been displaced in the conflicts in Lebanon since March 1.
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Trump said Iran’s enriched uranium will be brought to the United States. The US and Tehran would work together to recover the uranium, but they denied reports that the US was considering $20 billion in cash for the uranium deal. “No money changes hands,” he told Reuters.
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A cruise ship successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz on FridayAccording to ship tracking service MarineTraffic, this was the first cruise ship to pass this ship since the beginning of the war.
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Trump administration issues waiver allowing countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil and oil products He has been at sea for about a month, trying to control rising global energy prices.
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The UN children’s agency said it was “outraged” by the killing of two truck drivers, whom they had contracted to deliver clean water to families in Gaza, by Israeli fire..
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The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, has re-entered Middle Eastern watersUS defense officials said this.
