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Strait of Hormuz hopes crushed hours after ceasefire as Iran closes waterway again; ‘alternate’ routes announced
Iran announced alternative shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz after its closure, citing risks of sea mines in the main channel of the key waterway.
Hours after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, Tehran on Thursday closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, news agency AP reported.
On Wednesday, Iran agreed to re-open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks after the US announced a ceasefire with Iran, with talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad on Friday.
Israel launched its deadliest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah began last month, killing more than 250 people on Wednesday, as the Iran-backed group resumed rocket fire on northern Israel following a brief pause under the two-week US-Iran ceasefire.
Alternative shipping routes
Following the closure, Iran has reportedly announced alternative routes for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway. The statement shared instructions for an alternative entry and exit route through the strait, news agency AFP reported.
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Iran-backed Hezbollah said on Thursday it had launched rockets towards Israel in response to what it called a violation of the US-Iran truce.
The escalation has placed the fragile US-Iran truce under strain, with Tehran warning of a strong response and closing the Strait of Hormuz shortly after signalling it would reopen it.
Netanyahu backs the US-led ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the US-led ceasefire with Iran and said that operations in Lebanon would continue.
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“Israel supports President Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
“The United States has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals, shares by the US, Israel and Israel's regional allies, in the upcoming negotiations. The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon,” he said in another post on X.
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Within hours of the ceasefire announcement, reports of new attacks emerged from Iran and Gulf Arab countries.
Countries, including Pakistan, suggested the ceasefire could extend to Lebanon, where Israel has been targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. But Israel rejected that interpretation, maintaining that the truce does not apply to its operations in Lebanon.
US-Iran ceasefire
The fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States entered its second day on Thursday, with Tehran warning it could resume hostilities as Israel launched a major bombardment of Lebanon.
Both Washington and Tehran declared victory after agreeing to a two-week truce and talks aimed at ending a war that has killed thousands across the Middle East and disrupted the global economy.
However, signs of strain appeared quickly on Wednesday as Israel carried out its most intense strikes on neighbouring Lebanon, including densely populated areas of central Beirut, since the Iran-backed group Hezbollah entered the conflict in early March.
