Iran closes Hormuz again after Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite ceasefire

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire. Tehran accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with deadly strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

In Short

• Iran closes Strait of Hormuz, less than 24 hours after US-Iran ceasefire announced
• Heavy Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah assets killed 254 in Lebanon
• Israel denies Lebanon is part of US-Iran ceasefire, continues strikes

Iran on Wednesday closed the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical maritime oil chokepoint, less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Tehran, state-run Fars News Agency reported. Iran said tanker traffic on Hormuz would come to a "complete stop", citing ceasefire violations by Israel over its strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, which have claimed over 250 lives.

The White House has demanded Iran to reopen the strait immediately. Before the closure of Hormuz, two ships were allowed to pass through before Iran reversed course.

According to Israel, Lebanon is not a part of the ceasefire deal, a statement disputed by Iran. Tehran has called for a complete halt of hostilities, including the targeting of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militia by Israel as part of the ceasefire.

A top Iranian official demanded the shutting down of the Strait of Hormuz due to the "savage Zionist aggression against Lebanon", saying that the ceasefire should be applicable to everyone.

"In response to the savage Zionist aggression against Lebanon, the passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz must be halted right now... The Lebanese sacrificed their lives for us and we must not leave them alone for a moment. Ceasefire either on all fronts or on no fronts," Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, wrote on X.

Earlier, Trump said the two-week ceasefire required Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran’s Supreme National Security Council maintained that Washington had, in principle, accepted continued Iranian control over the crucial waterway.

A senior Iranian official indicated that Tehran was expected to ease its blockade by Thursday or Friday ahead of the peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, though vessels would still need Iran’s permission to transit the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping corridor between Iran and Oman/UAE, connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and carries nearly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and LNG supplies.

ISRAEL'S HEAVIEST AIRSTRIKES ON LEBANON

The developments came as Israel launched its heaviest strikes yet on Lebanon, even as Hezbollah paused attacks on northern Israel and Israeli troops under the US-Iran ceasefire framework.

Powerful explosions rocked Beirut, sending plumes of smoke across the capital, as the Israeli military said it had carried out its largest coordinated assault of the conflict, targeting more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 254 people were killed and more than 800 injured in the strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire halting the six-week US-Israeli war against Iran did not extend to Lebanon, with the military confirming that operations against Hezbollah would continue. This stance appeared to contradict remarks by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had suggested that Lebanon would be covered under the truce during mediation efforts.

Most of Wednesday's strikes were in civilian-populated areas, Israel's military said. Hours before the strike, the military had issued warnings for some areas of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon. No such warning was given for central Beirut, which was also hit.

HEZBOLLAH, IRGC VOW TO STRIKE BACK

Hezbollah condemned the strikes as “barbaric aggression” and asserted its “natural and legal right to resist the occupation and respond.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Beirut would continue pushing to be included in any broader regional peace framework.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned both the US and Israel of a “regret-inducing response” if attacks on Lebanon continued.

In an interview with PBS News, Trump said Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire agreement due to Hezbollah, describing the situation there as a “separate skirmish,” though he added it would be “taken care of.” The White House also reiterated that Lebanon was not included in the deal.

Since March 2, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign across Lebanon, including over 130 children and more than 100 women, after Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran.

- Ends
(with inputs from Reuters)