Video: Iran threatens to block Strait of Hormuz reopening unless Lebanon joins ceasefire
Abdullateef Fowewe
Iran has issued warned to halt plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, unless ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon cease and the country is included in a broader truce.
The threat comes from Esmail Kosari, head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, who declared, “After the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, all plans to open the Strait of Hormuz must immediately cease until there are assurances that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.”
Kosari defended Hezbollah, Iran’s key ally in the region, stating, “The brothers in Hezbollah have fought alongside us, given martyrs for the cause, and been our dear ally and suffered enough oppression and hardship.”
He added a blunt ultimatum, “There is either a ceasefire on all fronts, or a ceasefire nowhere at all.”
The statement ties Lebanon’s conflict directly to a fragile two-week US-Iran ceasefire, which hinges on safe, unrestricted shipping through the Strait—handling over 20% of the world’s oil trade.
It follows reports of the first vessel transiting the Strait post-ceasefire, underscoring rising tensions as Iran demands a multi-front halt to hostilities amid persistent regional strikes.
Iranian officials frame the position as solidarity with Hezbollah, which has borne significant losses in the ongoing clashes.
