The day after Iran declared the vital waterway open, it reversed course, injecting new peril into navigation there.
On a day when both Iran and the United States declared the Strait of Hormuz opened, hopes for an agreement rose. But statements from President Trump and Iranian leaders about negotiations were sometimes at odds.
Amid conflicting reports about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, European leaders gathered on Friday to coordinate a plan to guard it.
The Metropolitan Police said that the building had not been attacked but that they were assessing “discarded items” in Kensington Gardens, a nearby park, which was cordoned off.
The pause in fighting would remove a major hindrance to the U.S.-Iran peace talks, if it holds. New talks are set for Thursday in Washington.
The country’s leadership secured a truce through risky talks with Israel, but the government now finds itself caught between competing pressures.
President Trump had said that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak directly, but a Lebanese official said the country’s president had rejected the idea.
The diplomacy came as the U.S. Navy locked down trade to Iranian ports, and Iran responded by threatening critical shipping routes across the region.
A meeting between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington came as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports entered its second day.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K.’s diplomatic efforts are directed at keeping the vital waterway “open, not shut.”