Iranian leaders denounce negotiations; Donald Trump says he’s ‘highly unlikely’ to prolong ceasefire; Iran will decide ‘how to proceed’ as ceasefire deadline looms; Cruise line says two ships safely travelled through Strait of Hormuz

A retired US general and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander has cast doubt on whether the US would be able to force open the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t know if we have a military option really to do it,” Wesley Clark told CNN.

“People talk about the mines, but it’s the mines, the speedboats, the missiles, the sea skimming missiles, the cruise missiles, the ballistic missiles, the possible artillery fire that could be brought to bear.”

He said the strait had been fortified for years and that the Iranians had multiple advantages.

“They have Chinese technology. They’ve got real-time observation of our fleet,” he said.

“As we’re moving in it, this would be a real dogfight if we went in there, and it’s much more than simply sailing a couple of destroyers through with guns bristling and so forth or putting a minesweeper in.

“This is not the late 1980s. This is not the tanker war. This is something entirely different, and the Iranians now know they’ve got a real strategic asset, more, more useful than a nuclear weapon, and they’ve used it.

“And they don’t believe we have an answer for it.”