The deadly problem Trump has failed to fix with his ceasefire

June 21, 2026 — 9:55am

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London: A new warning from the Iranian military has just highlighted the weakness in Donald Trump’s peace deal with Tehran despite the stated goal of ending the war on all fronts.

Iranian officials issued an alert to ships in the Strait of Hormuz telling them the key shipping lane was closed, again, and that their security was at risk if they sought to pass.

“Due to the crimes in Lebanon and the violation of the US commitments regarding the ceasefire, the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all vessels again,” they said in a radio alert reported on Saturday (Middle East time).

The threat was swiftly disputed by US Central Command, which insisted the strait was open.

“Safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today as 55 merchant ships transited, moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets,” the US military said.

Maritime experts at Lloyd’s List released data soon afterwards showing vessels were still moving into and out of the Persian Gulf.

“Despite Iran claiming it was closing the strait, traffic was seen moving with AIS on via the northern route and also the southern route for the first time in weeks,” it said. AIS refers to the transponders, or automatic identification systems, that ships use to disclose their location.

The result: confusion over the shipping lanes used for 20 per cent of the world’s oil.

The US president had an answer to this on social media. Trump declared that there would be no tolls on ships in the strait unless he decided to put US tolls on the traffic. This idea, sure to startle shipping lines and their customers, seemed to be his way of........

© The Sydney Morning Herald