Iran threatens to ‘destroy’ ships that pass through Strait of Hormuz — despite cease-fire pact
Iran threatens to ‘destroy’ ships that pass through Strait of Hormuz — despite cease-fire pact
WASHINGTON — Iran’s battered navy has reportedly warned foreign ships on Wednesday that they will be “destroyed” if they attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz without permission from Tehran.
“You must receive permission from Iranian Sepah navy for passing through the strait. If any vessel tries to transit without permission, will be destroyed,” an Iranian official was heard saying in audio shared with the Wall Street Journal by a crew member.
The threat comes despite President Trump announcing late Tuesday that Iran agreed to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” through which over a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows annually.
The opening of the strait was a key condition of the Iran war cease-fire agreement. Fuel prices have surged worldwide in the wake of Iran’s closure of the crucial chokepoint.
Tehran had used missiles and drones to wreak havoc on the strait in retaliation against the joint US-Israeli strikes on its country to exact a toll on the global economy.
The cease-fire Trump unveiled Tuesday lasts for two weeks as the two sides negotiate a longer-term solution to end the war that began on Feb. 28.
A senior Iranian official involved in the talks said the strait could be reopened in a “limited” way under Iran’s control on Thursday or Friday — and that “coordinating with Iranian military will be mandatory for all ships.”
“If an understanding on a framework for talks is reached, the strait could be opened, limited, under Iran’s control,” the official told Reuters. “Coordinating with Iranian military will be mandatory for all ships.
“Still, the cease-fire is fragile; however, we prefer lasting peace but Iran has no fear to return to war if the US wants to go the same way,” the official warned.
In a press conference Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth insisted the strait was open and “commerce will flow.”
“What has been agreed to, what’s been stated, is the strait is open. Our military is watching, sure, their military is watching, but commerce will flow,” he told reporters.
He added that the military would be “hanging around” in the Middle East to ensure Iran complies with the cease-fire.
But in an apparent sign of that fragility, Iran was accused of launching a wave of drones on neighboring Kuwait, where American air bases have been used to direct strikes on the Iranian regime.
Iran’s drones targeted vital oil facilities, power stations, and water desalination plants, causing major infrastructure damage, according to Kuwait’s army.
Hegseth downplayed the concern over the strikes, saying that it can take time for “cease-fires to take hold.”
“Iran would be wise to find a way to get the carrier pigeon to their troops out in remote locations to know not to shoot, not to shoot any longer one-way attacks or missiles — because it takes time sometimes for cease-fires to take hold,” he told reporters, adding that “we’re watching it.”
World leaders from across Europe and the Middle East, meanwhile, praised Trump’s deal, and urged Iran to accept a lasting peace plan.
“I welcome the two-week ceasefire agreed upon by the USA and Iran overnight,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement on social media, thanking Pakistan for assisting with the negotiations.
“The goal now must be to negotiate a permanent end to the war. We are in close contact with our partners regarding this matter,” Merz added.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said the deal would “bring a moment of relief to the region and the world” as he called for a “lasting agreement” to help “reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”
