Iran Renews Threat to Shut Hormuz Despite Ceasefire, Contradicts Trump on Uranium Deal

Iran warned on Saturday that it would once again close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if the United States persists with its naval blockade of Iranian ports, casting immediate doubt over the durability of a fragile regional ceasefire announced just hours earlier.

The ultimatum from Tehran came despite the Islamic Republic having reopened the vital waterway for transit following a truce in Lebanon. While global markets rallied Friday on news of the reopening, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made clear the passage remains conditional.

“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Ghalibaf stated on social media platform X, asserting that all passage through the channel would require Iranian authorisation.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei further described the ongoing U.S. naval presence as “a violation of the ceasefire,” warning that any blockade would be met with “an appropriate response.”

Trump Sees Deal ‘Very Close,’ Iran Denies Uranium Transfer

The renewed brinkmanship contrasts sharply with optimism voiced by U.S. President Donald Trump, who told AFP that a broader peace agreement with Iran was “very close.” Trump claimed Tehran had agreed to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium a central obstacle in negotiations using “lots of excavators.”

However, Iranian officials swiftly rejected the assertion regarding its nuclear material, insisting the country’s uranium stockpile would not be transferred.

Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, maintained a hard line on maritime enforcement. While signaling openness to extending the temporary ceasefire beyond its Wednesday expiration, he affirmed, “Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain.”

According to U.S. Central Command, American naval forces have already directed 21 ships to turn around since the interdiction efforts intensified this week.

Markets React to Mixed Signals

The conflicting statements tempered what Trump had earlier described as a “GREAT AND BRILLIANT” day for diplomacy. Oil prices, which had softened considerably on expectations of a negotiated settlement, remain sensitive to the status of the Strait of Hormuz a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global crude oil typically flows.,

The developments unfolded against the backdrop of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, which Iran had stipulated as a precondition for halting wider regional hostilities involving Hezbollah. In southern Beirut, displaced families began returning to war-damaged neighbourhoods amidst a palpable but precarious sense of relief.

Mediation efforts led by Pakistan, which hosted unprecedented face-to-face talks between U.S. and Iranian envoys in Islamabad last week, continue as diplomats race to bridge the gap between Washington’s demands and Tehran’s warnings before the truce window closes.