President Donald Trump said Iran “can’t blackmail us” early Saturday as the country reimposes control over the Strait of Hormuz in response to a U.S. blockade, though he claimed talks with Iran are “working out very well.”
Trump, speaking with reporters at the Oval Office Saturday morning, said Iran “got a little cute” and “wanted to close up the strait again…as they've been doing for years,” hours after Iran said it would reinforce “strict control” over passage through the vital waterway.
Trump, though, said the United States and Iran have “very good conversations going on. It's working out very well,” suggesting he will “have some information by the end of the day.”
Earlier Saturday, as Iran reimposed control over the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said a tanker was approached by gunboats operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which then fired upon the tanker, though the crew and ship were reported safe.
Hours later, the UKMTO said a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile, causing damage to some containers.
A handful of ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday, before Iran said it would reimpose restrictions on crossing the shipping waterway, though in the hours since, nearly two dozen ships have turned back, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, which started earlier this week, has forced 23 ships to turn around, U.S. Central Command said Saturday morning in a post on X.
Why Is The Strait Of Hormuz Closed Again?
Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday in a post on X the Strait of Hormuz was declared “completely open” for shipping for the duration of the ceasefire in Lebanon, though he said ships must pass through a “coordinated route.” Trump, in posts on Truth Social on Friday, celebrated the opening of Hormuz and claimed “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again,” but he said the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports would continue until the two countries struck a finalized deal to end the war. Trump announced the blockade earlier this week, putting economic pressure on Tehran to expedite a deal to end the war. But early Saturday, a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command said control over the Strait of Hormuz has “returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is now under strict management and control of the armed forces,” blaming the U.S. blockade. “Until America allows full freedom of navigation for vessels traveling from Iran to destinations and vice versa, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under strict control,” the Iranian military said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday a French United Nations peacekeeper was killed and three others were injured after an attack by “non-state actors” in Lebanon, suggesting Hezbollah was responsible. Macron identified the killed soldier as Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio. “France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and assume their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL,” the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Macron said. The attack occurred during a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which Hezbollah voiced a “cautious commitment” to on Friday.
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