Iran Ceasefire Teetering on Collapse

The tentative ceasefire in the Iran war staggered Thursday under the weight of Israel’s intense bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty over whether negotiators can find common ground on a range of other differences.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump said it was not.  Meanwhile, ship traffic has all but vanished through the Strait of Hormuz as Iran remains firmly in control of the world’s crucial energy highway and ship owners hesitate due to uncertainty.