The order is clear: “total blockade” in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al Mandeb, the only two places that allow all the oil produced in the area to flow
Iran has just blown the lid off negotiations that the United States assured were going well, even though both countries exchanged fire last night.
Furious over the expansion of Israel’s operations in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized a castle and are preparing to further extend their influence, Tehran announced the suspension of all peace talks with the United States.
This information is being released by the Tasnim agency, which reports the suspension of all “conversations and text exchanges between intermediaries”, at a time when, at least according to Donald Trump, the war seemed to be close to an end.
Now, and as it has been saying since the beginning, Iran makes this end dependent on Israel’s exit from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, especially because “this ceasefire has been violated on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.
“There will be no talks”, reiterated Iran, which wants to see its demands in relation to its allies met, seeking an end to Israel’s hostilities against Hezbollah and Lebanon.
In parallel, and in an announcement that perhaps bothers Donald Trump even more, Iran ordered the “total blockade” of the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al Mandeb, two vital points for the export of oil and natural gas.
If the Strait of Hormuz was already practically paralyzed, the extension of the measure to Bab al Mandeb threatens all trade coming from the Red Sea, with the Houthis controlling passage through the area.
It is what Iran calls a “resistance front”, in what appears to be a clear call for its regional allies to return to war.
Several Iranian officials had already condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to expand operations in Lebanon, but this announcement from Iran takes things to another level.
