Iranian state media reported the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following Israeli military strikes in Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah. The White House immediately dismissed these claims as false, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that reports of the strait being closed were “completely unacceptable.” Leavitt emphasized that U.S. intelligence observed an actual increase in traffic through the vital waterway despite the allegations.
The closure announcement coincided with Israeli Defense Forces’ Wednesday strikes in Lebanon, which injured hundreds according to Lebanese health officials. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf condemned Israel’s actions as a violation of agreed protocols.
President Trump previously announced a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal contingent on Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement, detailed in a Truth Social post by Trump, required Iran to “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” the strait after U.S. forces suspended bombing operations pending Iranian compliance. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately urged an immediate two-week pause in hostilities across conflict zones to facilitate regional peace negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that ending fighting in Lebanon was part of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire framework, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump clarified the truce did not extend to Lebanon. Araghchi stated on social media that “the world sees the massacres in Lebanon” and called for the United States to act on its commitments regarding the Strait’s reopening.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared American forces had achieved a “capital V military victory,” asserting Iran no longer posed a significant threat to U.S. operations or regional stability. Iranian officials countered that they had compelled Israel and the U.S. to accept their proposed terms.
