Iran shows off its control over strait after collapse of peace talks
New Delhi: Iran showed off its tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, releasing footage of commandos boarding a large cargo vessel following the collapse of peace talks that Washington had hoped would reopen the key global shipping route.
State television aired dramatic visuals overnight of masked forces approaching the MSC Francesca in a grey speedboat, climbing aboard via a rope ladder and entering the vessel armed with rifles.
The footage, presented with an action-movie-style soundtrack without commentary also showed another ship, the Epaminondas, both of which Iran said it had seized a day earlier for allegedly attempting to cross the strait without permits.
Vice Speaker of Parliament Hamidreza Hajibabaei said Iran had begun collecting tolls from vessels using the strait, adding that initial revenue had already been transferred to the central bank, though he did not provide further details about who had paid it, when or how much.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said the targeted vessels had “faced the law.” Iranian forces, including speedboats and marine drones, were reported to be operating from sea caves near the mouth of the strait, maintaining pressure on naval movements and limiting the approach of the U.S. Navy.
Pakistan Still In Touch With Sides About Talks
Iran, which has effectively blocked the strait to ships apart from its own since the United States and Israel launched the war in February, has been left in apparent control of the waterway since last-ditch peace talks were called off on Tuesday, hours before a two-week ceasefire expired.
Tehran has said it will not consider reopening the strait—normally a transit route for about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG)—unless the U.S. lifts its naval blockade on Iranian shipping, which it imposed during the ceasefire. Iran has described the blockade as a violation of the truce.
According to shipping and security sources, U.S. forces have intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters, redirecting them away from areas near India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.
President Donald Trump stepped back from threats to resume strikes in the final hours of the ceasefire on Tuesday but has refused to lift the blockade. No formal extension of the truce has been announced, and there are no confirmed plans for renewed negotiations.
Residents in Tehran, who endured six weeks of U.S. and Israeli bombardment before the ceasefire on April 8, described a nerve-wracking environment under the threat of renewed warfare.
“In a situation that is neither peace nor war, things are somewhat frightening. At every moment, you think that Israel or the U.S. might launch an attack,” Arash, 35, a government employee in Tehran, told Reuters by phone. “You cannot make decisions about the future in such a situation.”
Pakistan, which earlier this month hosted the only peace talks of the war, remains in contact with both sides but has not been able to secure commitments for a new round of negotiations according to a Pakistani government source.
The source said Iranian officials were still declining to commit sending a delegation, have cited the U.S. blockade and shifting demands as reasons for holding back participation.
“Yesterday, diplomats from various countries met different Pakistani authorities and asked about the expected dates for the next round of talks, but they could not give them any timeframe, clearly,” the Pakistani source said.
Iran has said it remains open to dialogue in principle but insists conditions must be met.
“You did not achieve your goals through military aggression and you will not achieve them by bullying either,” the head of Iran’s negotiating team, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on social media on Wednesday. “The only way is recognizing the Iranian people’s rights.”
Separately, the U.S. was set to host another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, with Beirut seeking an extension of a ceasefire in a parallel conflict.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday killed five people, including a journalist, marking the deadliest day since the truce began. Iran has said maintaining stability in Lebanon is a key condition for broader negotiations.
U.S. Navy Secretary Fired
In the latest wartime shake-up at the Pentagon, John Phelan, a billionaire investor appointed by President Donald Trump as Secretary of the Navy, was removed from his post late Wednesday.
According to sources speaking to Reuters, the decision followed disagreements over shipbuilding priorities and strained relations with senior officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has kept global markets volatile. Uncertainty over resolving what has become one of the most severe energy disruptions in recent history pushed oil prices higher, but with fighting on hold Wall Street share prices have zoomed to record highs.
On Thursday, stock markets showed mixed trends, with declines in Japan, Hong Kong, Britain and Germany, while South Korea saw gains and France remained largely unchanged. Futures indicated a possible pullback on Wall Street after its recent surge. Meanwhile, Brent crude rose more than 1.5 per cent to around $103.50 per barrel.
Despite months of conflict, Washington has yet to achieve the key objectives outlined at the outset of the war—curbing Iran’s regional military capabilities, dismantling its nuclear programme, and triggering internal political change.
Iran continues to possess missile and drone capabilities capable of striking neighbouring countries, along with a stockpile of highly enriched uranium estimated by the International Atomic Energy Agency to exceed 400 kilograms.
Its leadership has also maintained firm control domestically, with no significant organised opposition emerging since the conflict began.
At the same time, Tehran has strengthened its strategic position by asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz, despite threats from Trump, who posted on social media earlier this month: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!”
(DD News)
