Iran’s military announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again on Saturday, blaming Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon that killed at least 47 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The US immediately denied the waterway was shut. “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command spokesperson Navy Capt Tim Hawkins told Reuters. “Traffic continues to flow, and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”
Vice-President JD Vance had already departed Washington for Switzerland, where direct talks with Iran are due to begin on Sunday. “I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue,” Vance told reporters before boarding his flight. He added that clashes between Israel and Hezbollah were “getting better” and “slowing down a little bit”.
“Iran says it closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli strikes; US denies and says traffic flows.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned ships not to approach the strategic waterway, citing Israeli “crimes” in Lebanon and a US “breach of its commitments” to establish a ceasefire there. The interim agreement signed this week between US President Donald Trump and Iran calls for a cessation of hostilities and further talks over 60 days. But Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, signalled conditions before progress. “Negotiations for a final agreement will begin only when the commitments set out in paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 of the MoU have started to be implemented,” he said.
Trump responded on Truth Social with a threat to impose US tolls on the strait “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East” if a final deal is not reached. He also complained that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would not allow the US to use Italy’s landing strips during the war.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes continued despite a new ceasefire with Hezbollah confirmed on Friday afternoon. At least 16 people were killed on Saturday in the Nabatieh district, Lebanon’s civil defence agency said. Seven people remained trapped under rubble. The IDF said it had struck 80 Hezbollah targets and killed “dozens” of its members; four Israeli soldiers were also killed.
Vance insisted the ceasefire would hold and said oil flow through the strait had returned to pre-war levels, with 55 merchant ships and more than 17 million barrels transiting on Saturday. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has acted as mediator, will attend the start of talks in Bürgenstock. Iran’s delegation includes parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.