Seoul Gazette - Iran closes Hormuz Strait again over US blockade, ships reverse course

The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump's optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was "very close".

On Friday, Tehran had declared the strait, which usually carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, open after a ceasefire was agreed in Lebanon to halt Israel's war with Hezbollah.

This prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging but, with Trump insisting that a US naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was concluded, Tehran threatened to shutter the strait once more.

Then, late on Saturday morning, Iran's central military command said that, in response to the US blockade, "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status" and "is under strict management and control of the armed forces".

The announcement came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships making a dash through the narrow waterway.

By 1030 GMT on Saturday, no fewer than eight oil and gas tankers had crossed the strait, but at least as many ships appeared to have turned back having tried to exit the Gulf.

Adding to the confusion, British marine security agency the UKMTO reported at 0920 GMT that a tanker northeast of Oman said it had been approached by two Iranian Revolutionary Guards ships without radio warning and fired upon.

The ship and crew were safe, it said, and authorities investigating.

Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Turkey, Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the "Americans cannot impose their will over Iran" through with a siege.

Meanwhile, in a written message, Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was yet to be seen since taking power, said Iran's navy "stands ready" to defeat the United States.

-'Great and brilliant' -

There are just four days remaining before the end of the two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran, launched by Washington and its ally on February 28.

Nevertheless, President Trump appeared convinced that a deal could be finished shortly.

He declared Friday "GREAT AND BRILLIANT," and made a series of social media posts praising talks mediator Pakistan.

Islamabad's powerful military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday finished a three-day visit to Iran aimed at securing the peace deal.

Egypt, which has also been involved in diplomatic efforts, also appeared upbeat on Saturday, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement "in the coming days".

He was speaking at the same event in Antalya as Khatibzadeh, who insisted no date had been set for the next round of direct talks.

Islamabad has emerged as the lead mediator during the conflict, hosting a marathon first round of talks last weekend.

A second round is expected in the Pakistani capital this coming week, with envoys hoping to end the war that was started by the US and Israel on February 28.

The allies launched a massive wave of surprise attacks on Iran, despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in negotiations, that killed Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior leaders.

The war rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting US interests in the Gulf and Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the conflict by launching rockets at Israel.

In a sign that the two-week ceasefire remained stable, Iran's civil aviation agency declared its airspace was open again, with international flights able to transit Iran via the east of the country.

- 'Lots of excavators' -

Nevertheless, two major sticking points in the peace talks -- Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and the future of the Strait of Hormuz -- appeared up in the air.

Speaking by phone with AFP on Friday, Trump said "we're very close to having a deal," adding that there were "no sticking points at all" left with Tehran.a

Later the same day, at an event in Arizona, the president declared that Iran had agreed to hand over its 440 or so kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 percent -- close to that needed for a bomb.

"We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," he said.

But hours before, Iran's foreign ministry had said its stockpile, thought to be buried deep under rubble by US bombing in last June's 12-day war, was not going anywhere.

"Iran's enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV.

"Transfer of Iran's enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations."

Ordinary Iranians, meanwhile, remained cut off from the international internet, with monitor Netblocks announcing on Saturday that the blackout implemented at the start of the war had reached its 50th day.

H.Yoon--SG