The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has assured that he will keep the Strait of Hormuz "sealed" until an agreement is reached with Iran. He has done so through a new message disseminated on his social network, Truth Social, where he has claimed U.S. control over this strategic maritime passage.
"We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy", affirmed the president, raising his tone amid geopolitical tension in the region.
In the same message, Trump has also added that Iran "is having a lot of difficulty determining who its leader is", in reference to the uncertainty surrounding the situation of the supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not made public appearances for two months, as has been pointed out.
Hours earlier, Trump had ordered his army to "shoot to kill" any vessel that places mines in the strait and has assured that US forces are already working on the demining of the maritime corridor and that he intends to triple the pace of these operations.
In parallel, Iran maintains that it has deployed naval mines in different "danger zones" of the strait, weapons it has described as cheap and effective within its military strategy.
A dozen countries, willing to clear mines from Hormuz
Faced with the situation, a dozen countries have announced that they are willing to participate in an international operation to clear mines from Hormuz and guarantee the security of maritime traffic. Italy has been one of the last countries to confirm its incorporation into this initiative.
According to the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, in an interview with public television RAI, they are prepared to deploy up to four ships, including two minesweepers, as part of this multinational mission.
The initiative is part of the coordinated efforts that last week were debated in Paris by European leaders, with the objective of ensuring the transit of ships through a strait through which approximately 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas circulates.
UN studies reducing its peace mission in Lebanon
For its part, the UN is studying a reduction of its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon once its mandate expires in December, although it does not rule out maintaining some type of presence in the country, as explained by the organization's head of peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
The head of the United Nations has indicated that the current force, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), could continue after the end of its mandate, but foreseeably with a reduced deployment.
This peacekeeping mission has been present in southern Lebanon since 1978, with the objective of supervising the ceasefire, supporting the Lebanese Army, and monitoring compliance with the prohibition of unauthorized weapons in the area.
Currently, UNIFIL has more than 7,000 blue helmets from 47 countries, and has suffered the loss of five personnel in recent weeks, three of Indonesian nationality and two French, in the context of the tension between Israel and Hezbollah.