Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over MoU violations

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Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over MoU violations · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: And we begin with breaking news. Iran says it has
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  Speaker 1: closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, citing a breach
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  Speaker 1: of commitments by the US and ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
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  Speaker 1: Ships had been passing through the strait since earlier this
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  Speaker 1: week after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding.
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  Speaker 1: Before that it had been closed during the Iran US War,
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  Speaker 1: leading to fuel shortages in parts of the world. Now
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  Speaker 1: earlier Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least sixteen people,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Lebanese Civil Defense. The attacks hit the
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  Speaker 1: southern town of Navtie and nearby villages and came just
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  Speaker 1: hours after ceasefire with Hesbola took effect. Israel said it
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  Speaker 1: was a response to Hezbolah firing more than fifty projectiles
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  Speaker 1: at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. Israel said the
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  Speaker 1: Hezbola attacks violated the ceasefire agreement and to shed some
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  Speaker 1: light on all this, bringing our Fawerst Jurges, a professor
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  Speaker 1: of Middle Eastern politics and international relations at the London
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  Speaker 1: School of Economics, for US good to have you on
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  Speaker 1: the program. So, first of all, Iran has closed the
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  Speaker 1: Strait of Hormus Again, how serious is that especially now,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, how will this affect the peace negotiations.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's very serious and it tells you how
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  Speaker 2: fragile the framework of understanding between the United States and
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  Speaker 2: Iran and Lebanon has emerged as one of the most
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  Speaker 2: important stumbling blocks between the United States and Iran. The
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  Speaker 2: reality is Iran strategy now is to want to make
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  Speaker 2: sure that the United States lives up to its commitment,
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  Speaker 2: and its commitment is to basically exert pressure on Israeli
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  Speaker 2: Prime minister to end the war in Lebanon. Yet, as
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  Speaker 2: we know, Israel has rejected the Framework of agrin between
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  Speaker 2: the United States and Iran. Israeli Prime Minister and his
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  Speaker 2: defensemans that have made it very clear their forces will
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  Speaker 2: remain in Lebanon. They will not basically leave the huge
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  Speaker 2: security zone they have established in Lebanon. They would not
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  Speaker 2: allow almost three four hundred thousand leven ees displaced people
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  Speaker 2: to return to their homes. And finally, this is a
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  Speaker 2: very important point Monica. In the past three days since
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  Speaker 2: the seas far, since the Framework of agreement was signed
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  Speaker 2: between the United States and Iran, the Israeli army has
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  Speaker 2: been trying to expand its security zone in Beirut and
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  Speaker 2: basically occupy a strategic hill called Ali Tahre near Adnavatiya,
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  Speaker 2: and most of the battles that have been taking place
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  Speaker 2: in the past few days are basically around particular strategic hill,
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  Speaker 2: because what Israel is trying to do is to consolidate
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  Speaker 2: its security zone in Lebanon. And the fact is I mean,
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  Speaker 2: think about the irony Israel Hosbella violates the seas far
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  Speaker 2: in southern Lebanon. Israel controls now eight kilometers of Lebanon.
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  Speaker 2: Yet Husbula is opposed not to respond to Israel's further
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  Speaker 2: incursion and expansion of its security zone. So all in all,
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  Speaker 2: without the intervention of President Trump, and without President Trump
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  Speaker 2: really willingness to exert pressure on Benjamin Nataniel, I fear
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  Speaker 2: that the framework of agreement between the United States and
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  Speaker 2: Iran could easily basically break down for good.
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  Speaker 1: So basically what you're saying is that Tehran is holding
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  Speaker 1: Donald Trump, the US Washington accountable for Israel's actions. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Washington has already criticized Israel for its actions, but to
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  Speaker 1: no avail, what more can they do?
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  Speaker 2: I think what we need to understand for our own viewers.
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  Speaker 2: Why does Iran insist on the seas far in Lebanon.
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  Speaker 2: Not only because Iran has a very organic link Hosbala
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  Speaker 2: Hosbella is part and parcel of Iran's what we call
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  Speaker 2: regional allies in the Middleast. But I think the sea
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  Speaker 2: is fire in Lebanon will convince Iran that President Trump
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  Speaker 2: is serious about the Framework of Agreement. There is deep
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  Speaker 2: mistrust the President Trump, and unless President Trump respects his
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  Speaker 2: commitment and obligations under the Framework of Agreement, Iran realizes
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  Speaker 2: that then they could really no longer trust President Trump
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  Speaker 2: to really proceed in the negotiations about Iran's nuclear program.
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  Speaker 2: So they want to see I mean, iron clad commitment
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  Speaker 2: by President Trump to basically tell Israeli Prime Minister enough
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  Speaker 2: is enough. The war in southern Lebanon has to end.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, just to give you our views a glimpse
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  Speaker 2: of what has happened. Yesterday, according to Lebanon's health authorities,
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  Speaker 2: forty seven Lebanese civilians were killed and ninety injured in
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  Speaker 2: twenty four hours. Today, Israel killed sixteen Lebanese civilians and
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  Speaker 2: injured scores. There is the war has never stopped in Lebanon.
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  Speaker 2: In fact, there is escalation.
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  Speaker 1: Well and Yousef, just one quick question. If Israel stopped
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  Speaker 1: its attacks on southern Lebanon, what has Bola also stop?
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  Speaker 1: Just a brief answer.
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  Speaker 2: Please, you know, Monika, you'll be surprised. Husbola basically has
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  Speaker 2: accepted this is far. Hsbola is desperate to end the war.
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  Speaker 2: Husboula has made it very clear if Israel stops its attacks,
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  Speaker 2: it's expansion, if its security zone. Husbela basically wants the
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  Speaker 2: war to end. But you see, what Israel is trying
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  Speaker 2: to do is to say, well, it's Hesbela is violating
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  Speaker 2: the seas far because Husbela is firing on our forces
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  Speaker 2: while we are trying to expand our security zone in Lebanon.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's illogical and what Israeli are trying to do?
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so that story is to be continued, no doubt.
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  Speaker 1: Thomas Judge is their professor of Middle Eastern Politics and
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  Speaker 1: International Relations of the London School of Economics. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: so much for that.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you