Iran Warns Ships Transiting Hormuz Strait Without Permit Will Be "Destroyed"

On Wednesday, the Iranian navy informed ships near the Strait of Hormuz that they still needed Tehran's permission to cross the strait. The Iranian navy warned vessels via radio that any ship attempting to pass without permission would face destruction, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

"You must receive permission from Iranian Sepah navy for passing through the strait. If any vessel tries to transit without permission, will be destroyed," the message said.

The message comes after US President Donald Trump said that he has agreed to suspend attacks on the Islamic Republic for two weeks only if the strait is opened in a "complete, immediate, and safe" manner.

The Wall Street Journal reported that most ships are stationary in the Hormuz Strait, that Iran still intends to assert influence over the Strait of Hormuz, and that warplanes are still present over the Persian Gulf, according to photos and videos shared by the crew. 

The Strait, a strip of water only 34 kilometres (21 miles) wide between Iran and Oman, provides passage from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and is the main route for about a fifth of the world's oil supplies and other vital goods, including fertiliser.

Trump Pauses Strikes On Iran For 2 Weeks

The deal for a two-week ceasefire includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and a fulcrum of the nearly six-week-long war.

Hours after threatening that "a whole civilisation will die tonight," US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, stepping back from the threat of strikes on the country's power plants and bridges.

Trump announced the ceasefire on Truth Social, saying he had accepted a proposal put forward by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Field Marshal Asim Munir.