President Donald Trump declared that Iran is “FINISHED” in his first statement since Israel launched massive strikes against Lebanon, triggering reports that Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again.
Amid the chaos and uncertainty, Israel and Hezbollah reportedly agreed to a renewed ceasefire that went into effect right after the strikes. The ceasefire, according to media reports, was brokered by U.S. and Qatari negotiators. Neither Israel or Hezbollah have confirmed the truce.
Trump’s first posts on Truth Social since the strikes did not mention Israel or Lebanon, but instead appeared to allude to the closure of the Strait. Under the memorandum of understanding, Iran would not get anything should they renege on any part of the deal in 60 days.
“We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did,” he wrote. “They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!”
In a subsequent post minutes later, he wrote: “The War has diminished Iran! It doesn’t, any longer, have an Air Force, a Navy, Antiaircraft Equipment, Radar, or practically anything else, and yet the Dumocrats say that Iran is better off now than it was four months ago. Can you imagine getting away with that??? How stupid can some people be???”
The Truth Social verbal volley came amid reports that Israel launched strikes against over 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and committed not to leaving the country after four Israeli soldiers were killed. In response, some outlets reported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent out a radio broadcast announcing the reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and the complete lifting of the naval blockade and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are among the main conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States. The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these two conditions are met, all ships are ordered not to approach the Strait of Hormuz for their own safety and health, any vessel that defies this order will be targeted,” the broadcast to vessels in the area reportedly said.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei strongly condemned Israel’s strikes, and said Tehran held the U.S. directly responsible and considered it a violation of the MOU. However, he stopped short of saying the MOU would be suspended, only warning that Iran would take “all necessary measures.”
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t indicated by Baqaei either, nor was it immediately proclaimed by state media.
Iran has repeatedly stressed that it also considers Israel’s complete withdrawal from Lebanon a central condition of the MOU, something Jerusalem has said is a non-starter. The disconnect over Lebanon between the U.S. and Israel has served as a major fray in the usually ironclad relationship, and is set to cause further friction.
After the ceasefire reportedly went into effect 4 p.m. local time on Friday, senior officials declared they were in a “security zone,” according to Fox News.
“We are currently in a ceasefire. We remain in the security zone, and if we are attacked, we will respond. We will thwart threats,” an Israeli official told the outlet.
Trump’s Friday morning remarks are a continuation of his efforts to sell the MOU to the public, a deal which has angered critics and allies alike. The president has argued that the U.S. accomplished its goals, frequently stressing the heavily lopsided casualties Iran suffered to reason that Tehran’s ability to project force in the region had been neutered.