Iranian media reports that tankers have stopped passing through the Strait of Hormuz because Israel attacked Lebanon with the “biggest attacks” since the beginning of the land operation, writes the BBC.
Passing tankers through the strait is key to a ceasefire between Iran and the US.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that while two tankers were allowed to pass through the strait this morning with Iran's consent, the flow of tankers had been suspended.
The Islamic Republic News Agency also reports the suspension of ship traffic, citing ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
SSY, a maritime brokerage firm, confirmed to BBC Verify that ships in the Persian Gulf received the following message:
“Attention all ships in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. This is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Naval Base. Passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and IRGC authorization is required before transiting it. Any ship attempting to enter the sea will be targeted and destroyed.”
After announcing the ceasefire between the US and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi announced that traffic through the strait would take place “in coordination with the Iranian armed forces and taking into account technical limitations.”
In turn, an anonymous representative of the Iranian authorities told Reuters that the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is possible on Thursday or Friday, but to a limited extent and on Tehran's conditions.
The US and Iran agreed on a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday night. Part of the provisions of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire is for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported a two-week ceasefire with Iran, but it did not cover hostilities in Lebanon.
As Axios reported on Wednesday, citing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Lebanon is not a party to the ceasefire agreement.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday in an interview with PBS that the truce concluded with Iran does not apply to Lebanon and Israel's attacks on the targets of the pro-Iranian terrorist group Hezbollah. This is a “separate skirmish,” he emphasized.
