AGENCIES

Premature and mismanaged media announcements by Donald Trump and Tehran have derailed progress toward a peace settlement between Iran and the US.

Iran announced it would reinstate a complete block on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and refuse to export any of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, marking the culmination of recent missteps.

The chain of events started when the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted on X on Friday soon after the markets opened in the US. Donald Trump claims to have ended a 10th war – but will the Lebanon ceasefire hold?

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon the passage of all commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire [Lebanon ceasefire] on the coordinated route as already announced by the Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep of Iran.”

His announcement knocked $12 off the price of a barrel of oil and was welcomed by Pakistan, reports The Guardian online. Araghchi’s poorly framed post sparked backlash, worsened by falling oil prices and Trump’s upbeat Truth Social response thanking Iran for opening the strait and agreeing to export uranium.

Tasnim, close to the IRGC, quickly called the post wrong or incomplete, saying it lacked clarity on passage conditions and drew heavy criticism. The impasse prompted Trump to threaten renewed bombing after the ceasefire ends Wednesday, raising the risk of confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran also told mediators it would not restart talks in Islamabad, rejecting US demands as excessive and insisting the strait remains its leverage.

Iran’s tough stance reflects the IRGC’s dominance in foreign policy and its concern that Araghchi was conceding too much to Washington.

Resentment grew after Trump’s upbeat Truth Social posts, which Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf dismissed as lies. Araghchi later clarified the Strait of Hormuz was open only to IRGC‑authorized ships using designated routes and paying tolls.