Iran restricts Strait of Hormuz passage again, accuses US of ‘piracy’ (PHOTOS/VIDEOS)

Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, has praised Iran for its efforts to establish a ceasefire in Lebanon while lambasting the Lebanese government over what he described as “moving towards humiliation, disgrace, and the destruction of sovereignty.”

He singled out Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who he said “thanked the [US] killer and criminal but did not thank Iran” for the truce.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations claims that two Iranian gunboats fired on an unnamed tanker in the middle of the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported.

The IDF has reported several incidents of ceasefire violation in Lebanon, accusing “terrorists” – who it said pose an “immediate threat” – of approaching the Israeli-mandated Yellow Line in the southern part of the country.

“Following their identification, and in order to remove the threat, the Israeli Air Force, together with ground forces, conducted precise strikes against the terrorists,” the statement read.

The IDF insisted that the attack was in self-defense, stressing that actions aimed at removing immediate threats are not restricted by the ceasefire.

Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of Iran’s National Security Commission, has said that Tehran had warned the US over the consequences of the continued blockade, mockingly adding that Washington could “now ENJOY the Strait of Hormuz returning to the status quo.”

The IDF will impose a ‘yellow line’ in Lebanon and bar people from areas occupied by the Israeli military, CNN reports, citing officials.

According to the report, the IDF “is authorized to continue destroying terrorist infrastructures there even during the ceasefire.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has insisted that it was Tehran that closed the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the US “made safe and secure maritime traffic through the waterway impossible.”

He added that Iran has every right to restrict passage due to the threat to national security.

At least five more Iran-linked tankers are passing through the Strait of Hormuz despite the US blockade, Fars News agency has reported, citing tracking data.