TV News LIES

Iran said Saturday it had reinstated control of the Strait of Hormuz, and was reversing course on its decision to reopen the critical waterway until the United States completely lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.

The announcement came the morning after President Donald Trump had said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will remain and attacks could resume if no agreement is reached before the current ceasefire with Iran expires next week.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Saturday, Trump said Iran had tried to get "cute" in taking back control of the Strait of Hormuz.

"They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years. Nobody ever took them on. We took them on," Trump said.

Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One the previous evening about what he will do if there's no deal before the ceasefire expires, Trump said: "I don't know. Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won't extend it, so you'll have a blockade and unfortunately we'll have to start dropping bombs again."

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The U.S. military is readying to board ships linked to Iran and seize commercial vessels in international waters in the coming days as President Trump looks to expand a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military planning, told The Hill on Saturday.

The planning comes as the military is already enforcing the naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, turning back 23 vessels that attempted to leave Iranian ports on Monday.

The expanded enforcement could come as Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital shipping pathway responsible for the transport of roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply, leading to increase in energy and gas prices.

Iran has reportedly attacked several vessels in the channel, a day after its foreign minister claimed the waterway was “completely” open for commercial ships following the temporary truce reached between Lebanon and Israel. The move caused oil prices to drop dramatically on Friday.

The Hill has reached out to the U.S. Central Command for comment.

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Iran declares Strait of Hormuz “completely open” for the remainder of ceasefire: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the Strait of Hormuz “in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon” will be “completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” in a post on X. Araghchi specified that the Strait will be open on “the coordinated route,” referring to the path that runs near Iran’s coast and Qeshm and Larak Islands.

President Donald Trump responded by thanking Iran for opening the “STRAIT OF IRAN,” in a post on Truth Social. Shortly after, Trump added that “THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN,” until ongoing negotiations are complete. “THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED.”

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US President Donald Trump said “things seem to be going very well with Iran” after receiving what he described as “pretty good news twenty minutes ago,” adding he “maybe won’t extend the ceasefire if no deal by Wednesday, but will keep the US blockade of Iranian ports.”

Trump also said Chinese President Xi Jinping is “very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening,” and said his upcoming meeting with Xi would be “a special one and, potentially, Historic”.

While Trump has claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, Ebrahim Rezaei said Tehran will not accept enriched uranium being transferred out of Iran and denied that any commitments to do so had been made, rejecting US claims to the contrary.

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Iran will shut the strait of Hormuz if the US blockade continues, Iran’s parliamentary speaker has warned.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said passage through the waterway would depend on authorisation from Iran, while swiping at Donald Trump in the series of posts on X.

Ghalibaf said (in a translation):

1 - "The President of the United States made seven claims in one hour, all seven of which were false.

2 – They did not win the war with these lies, and they will certainly not get anywhere in negotiations either.”

Ghalibaf, who last weekend co-led the Iranian side in negotiations with the US in Islamabad that failed to reach an agreement, continued in his posts:

3 –" With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open.

4  – Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be conducted based on the “designated route” and with “Iranian authorization”.

Whether the strait was open or closed and the regulations governing it “will be determined by the field, not by social media”, Ghalibaf added.

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After the U.S. military launched operations to demine the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy reportedly warned an American destroyer in the passageway.

“This is the last warning. This is the last warning,” the Iranian forces radioed to one of the two U.S. destroyers in the strait, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Passage in accordance with international law. No challenge is intended to you, and I intend to abide by rules of our government’s cease-fire,” the U.S. ship responded, referring to the temporary pause in hostilities between the two sides.

The Hill has reached out to U.S. Central Command (Centcom) for comment on the reported radio message. The IRGC navy, meanwhile, denied Saturday that U.S. ships passed through the strait.

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