US-Iran Conflict Escalates: Strait of Hormuz Closed Amid Stalemate

The Strait of Hormuz has been closed again amid the ongoing standoff between Iran and the United States. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf indicated that a conclusive peace agreement is still far away, despite some progress in talks.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted. The current two-week ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday unless it is extended.

US President Donald Trump has no justification to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said. Iran's valiant navy is ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said.

The US military forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Trump accused Iran of getting a little cute with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to blackmail Washington.

In Israel, another soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military established a so-called yellow line in southern Lebanon, similar to a measure in the besieged Gaza Strip.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack that killed a French soldier serving with the UN mission UNIFIL in Lebanon.