The ceasefire does not hold. The lie does.

Less than 24 hours. That is how long this ceasefire held before the Strait of Hormuz was closed again.

Iranian state television confirmed the closure on Wednesday evening. In response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House denied it. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been privately informed that the strait was open. The reports circulating publicly were false. At the same time, the semi official news agency Tasnim, which is said to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, reported that Iran is reviewing a complete withdrawal from the ceasefire. Iran’s armed forces have already identified targets. If the United States cannot restrain its wild dog in the region, Iran would help them for once - with force.

The Strait of Hormuz in the last 48 hours. Ship traffic over the last 24 hours was almost like a ghost town.

Two realities. One strait. Closed.

What happened in between cannot be argued away. Israel attacked Beirut on Wednesday afternoon during rush hour. Five districts at once, without warning. More than 180 people were killed, hundreds were injured. It was the deadliest day in the current Israel Hezbollah war. Entire buildings were destroyed, streets covered with debris, hospitals called for blood donations. Rescue workers were still searching for survivors hours after the attack. UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the attacks in unusually strong terms. The attacks pose a serious risk to the ceasefire, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. He called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities.

Three journalists died that day.

Mohammed Wishah, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, was killed in a drone strike in Gaza. The Israeli army described him as a Hamas member and published a tweet from 2024 as evidence. Israel classifies him as a Hamas member on that basis and refers to imagery with weapons related content. Such footage is not conclusive, however, as journalists in war zones also accompany fighters. Independently verifiable evidence has not yet been presented. In Lebanon, Ghada Dayekh, a presenter at Sawt Al Farah, and Suzan Khalil, a reporter at Al Manar TV and Al Nour Radio, all Hezbollah affiliated media, were killed.

Leavitt stood before the press on Wednesday and defended Trump’s threat to let an entire civilization die. It was a very strong threat that had led the Iranian regime to its knees. She called any suggestion of Iran’s moral superiority offensive. She said it with the face of a woman to whom none of it matters.

Iran’s ambassador in Beijing, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, asked China, Russia and the United Nations for security guarantees as part of the ceasefire framework. Iran has made such requests several times in the past. They led to nothing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning avoided the question and said one hopes all parties would resolve their disputes through dialogue. That is the language of those who watch and call it polite.

We reported early that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Time for transport through the strait to return to normal: months. Many shipping companies will remain extremely cautious in light of the possibility of renewed escalation. The political situation can change within hours. It has changed within hours.

A ceasefire is not an agreement between like minded parties. It is a pause between people who do not trust. And in that pause, 180 people in Beirut lost their lives, three journalists were killed, and a press secretary in the White House declared that all of this was a sign of strength.

The Strait of Hormuz is closed.

That is the fact that remains when all explanations are exhausted.