Strait of Hormuz Traffic Near Standstill Despite US-Iran Ceasefire: Only

The speaker of the Iranian parliament has said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is "impossible."

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf blames this on the "flagrant" breaches of the ceasefire by the US government. US President Donald Trump previously declared that he was extending the ceasefire indefinitely.

Ghalibaf Claims 'Impossible' to Reopen Hormuz

According to a report by The Guardian, Ghalibaf took to social media to say that the US and Israel "did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying."

Ghalibaf counts the US naval blockade as breach of the ceasefire both parties agreed on. He likewise accused the US of "the hostage-taking of the world's economy" and "Zionist warmongering."

The report notes that Iran has seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz. One is the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, while the other is the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas. Iran has accused both ships of "attempting to exit the strait of Hormuz covertly."

The Guardian notes that the Epaminondas is Greek-​operated, leading to Greece's foreign minister confirming that there had been an attack against a Greek-owned cargo ship.

Aside from the seizure of these two ships, Iran had also fired on a third ship in the strait, according to a report by 9News.

The report states that the Revolutionary Guard attacked a third ship, which has since been identified as the Euphoria. Iranian media has claimed that the Euphoria is now reportedly "stranded" on the Iranian coast.

Will Iran Participate in Any Peace Talks?

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has said that the country has not decided if it will participate in fresh peace talks initiated by the US.

Baghaei went on to accuse the US of "disregard and lack of good faith" in negotiations.