Iran Suspends Strait of Hormuz Passage in Ceasefire Dispute

The two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, announced by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, faced immediate uncertainty Wednesday as Iran halted most passage through the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli military strikes in Lebanon as a violation of the agreement. The strait, a critical chokepoint for about 20 percent of the world's oil supply, had been largely closed by Iran since the U.S.-led war began on February 28, disrupting global energy flows and trapping hundreds of tankers in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian state media reported the suspension of oil tanker transit in retaliation for Israel's intensified bombing campaign in Lebanon, which targeted more than 100 sites and killed at least 112 people, according to Lebanese officials. The strikes marked one of the deadliest days in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict, with residential and commercial areas in Beirut hit without prior warning. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on social media that "aggression towards Lebanon is aggression towards Iran" and emphasized that ending the fighting there was a core element of the ceasefire, as confirmed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated...