Iran warns of renewed Hormuz closure amid US blockade

Iran threatened on Saturday to once again shut the Strait of Hormuz if the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports, just hours after Tehran announced it had reopened the vital shipping route following a ceasefire in Lebanon, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The possibility of renewed transit through the strait had boosted global stock markets on Friday and fueled optimism in Washington. Donald Trump told AFP that a broader US-Iran peace agreement was “very close,” adding that Tehran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, a key sticking point in ongoing negotiations.

“We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” Trump said during an event in Arizona.

Iran rejected the claim, stating that its stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred.

Tehran also warned that if US warships intercept vessels departing from Iranian ports, the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial global trade route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes — could be closed again.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev