US President Donald Trump made a sensational claim regarding the Iran war, stating that more than 100 missiles fired by Tehran at US warships were delivered through Pakistan. He also alleged that China was behind these missiles, which supplied them to Iran through Pakistan. However, Trump claimed that the US Navy successfully intercepted these missiles.
Trump’s statement comes at a time when a ceasefire was declared between the US and Iran just a day earlier, but within hours, the situation deteriorated again. Reports of an attack on a refinery in Iran surfaced, while reports of Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain emerged. Meanwhile, Israel launched a series of missile strikes on Lebanon, further weakening the ceasefire.
Following this, Iran threatened to close the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and said that if Israeli attacks on Lebanon did not stop, the ceasefire would be meaningless. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made it clear that Israel’s “mission is still incomplete” and operations in Lebanon would continue, as this is not part of the ceasefire agreement.
However, Iran clarified on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is not completely closed and is open to civilian vessels. According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, reports of its closure are false. However, given the current war-like situation, all oil and commercial vessels passing through it will now have to undergo intensive search and inspection procedures.
He also said that only those ships are being allowed to proceed which have prior permission from the Iranian authorities. This means that technically the route is open, but due to strict monitoring and security checks, its movement has become very controlled and slow, which may have an impact on the global oil supply. On one hand, big allegations and counter-allegations and on the other hand, continuous military action is showing that the situation in the Middle East is very delicate and at any time this tension can again turn into a big conflict.