Iran has officially vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for as long as a United States naval blockade remains active.

This defiance persisted into Thursday despite an extension of the ceasefire, with the Gulf nation announcing it had seized two ships attempting to navigate the strategic waterway.

United States Central Command reported late Wednesday that it had directed 31 vessels to either turn around or return to their home ports. These actions are part of what the US described as its own blockade against Iran.

As the deadline for a potential return to regional war approached, US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he would maintain the current truce. This decision was made to provide additional time for peace negotiations being brokered by Pakistan.

AFP reported that the Iranian government indicated that it welcomed the mediation efforts by Pakistan. However, Tehran offered no further specific comments regarding the announcement made by Trump.

“A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade,” said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad.

“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”

Global oil prices experienced a sharp increase of four percent before stabilizing on Thursday. the jump followed the declaration by Iran that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed as long as the US blockade was in effect.

At approximately 0025 GMT, West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for US oil, rose by 4.06 percent to reach $96.73 per barrel. Simultaneously, the international benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, increased by 3.62 per cent to $105.63, though both prices eased shortly thereafter.

Trump noted that he intended to give the leadership in Iran time to produce a proposal. Many international observers viewed this approach as a face-saving strategy intended to prevent the resumption of full-scale war.

The US President informed the New York Post that negotiations could potentially resume in Pakistan within two to three days. This comes despite the fact that Iran has not yet confirmed its participation and Vice President JD Vance suspended his travel to Islamabad on Tuesday.

Trump also made a claim that Iran had halted plans to execute eight women at his request. These women were reportedly arrested during significant anti-government protests that occurred in the weeks preceding the attack.

The Iranian judiciary dismissed these claims as false news. Officials stated that the women in question had never been facing the death penalty.

The elite Revolutionary Guards of Iran stated that they had forced two vessels to the Iranian coast from the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow passage is the gateway for roughly one-fifth of the total oil supply in the world.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships,” the Guards said in a statement.

The vessels were identified by the Guards as the Epaminondas, which is flagged in Liberia, and the MSC Francesca, a container ship flagged in Panama.

The foreign ministry of Panama confirmed the seizure of the MSC Francesca. They described the incident as an unnecessary escalation and a serious attack on the security of maritime operations.

Maritime security monitors based in the United Kingdom confirmed that three different commercial ships reported encounters involving gunboats within the strait.

One container ship reported being fired upon by a boat belonging to the Revolutionary Guards. The incident occurred 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman and resulted in damage to the bridge of the ship, though no casualties were reported by the monitor UKMTO.

Following orders from President Trump, the US Navy is working to block any vessels traveling to or from ports in Iran. The strategy aims to increase economic pressure on Iran while attempting to avoid a total war.

During the ongoing blockade, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday that Secretary of the Navy John Phelan would be leaving his post immediately.

No specific reason was provided for his sudden departure. This marks the most recent removal of a high-ranking officer under the leadership of Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

In a retaliatory move for the attacks, Iran has mandated that all vessels must seek permission before entering or exiting the Gulf via the strait. While Iran had previously promised free passage during the ceasefire, it returned to a stance of defiance after the US blockade was announced.

The US Department of Defense stated on Tuesday that American forces had intercepted and boarded a stateless vessel that was under sanction. This ship has been identified as being linked to activities involving Iran, and both nations are now accusing each other of violating the ceasefire terms.

Following the ceasefire with Iran, the United States helped facilitate a truce between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed movement had previously launched rockets into Israel as retaliation for attacks on Iran.

Despite the declared truce, media reports from Lebanon stated that Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of five people on Wednesday.

The newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that one of its journalists, Amal Khalil, was killed in an Israeli strike near the border. Another reporter, Zeinab Faraj, was wounded in the same incident.

President Emmanuel Macron of France announced the death of a second French soldier. The soldier had been wounded during a weekend ambush against United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon, an attack that has been blamed on Hezbollah.

A first soldier was killed during the Saturday ambush. Hezbollah has officially denied having any responsibility for that specific attack.

Israel and Lebanon do not share diplomatic relations but are scheduled to hold a second round of negotiations in Washington this Thursday.

A Lebanese official informed the media that Lebanon intends to request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the meeting.

The official, speaking anonymously, stated that Lebanon will also advocate for an end to Israeli destruction and bombing in areas where it is active, alongside a firm commitment to the ceasefire.

According to authorities in Lebanon, Israeli attacks have resulted in the deaths of more than 2,450 people since the conflict began.