Standstill at Strait of Hormuz weighs on US-Iran peace deal hopes
Tensions escalate at the Strait of Hormuz as Iran fires on vessels attempting to pass, threatening global energy supplies and undermining US-Iran peace deal hopes. The standoff is one of several unresolved issues in peace talks, including Iran's nuclear program and Israel's invasion of Lebanon.
The Strait of Hormuz is at a near standstill after Iran reversed its decision to reopen the waterway and fired on vessels attempting to pass. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said negotiations with the US are making progress, but gaps remain significant. The US military is preparing to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters to pressure Iran into reopening Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Navy warned vessels not to leave their anchorages in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. A ceasefire in Lebanon, linked to Iran's decision to allow Hormuz traffic, may be fraying, with the Israel Defense Forces striking 'saboteurs' approaching its troops. The developments undermine rising optimism that the US and Iran were nearing a broad agreement to end the war.
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