Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday and warned ships to stay away from the vital shipping lane, but the US denied these claims, insisting the waterway remained open.
Tensions between the two countries further escalated days after Iran and the United States reached an interim agreement to end hostilities in the region.
The announcement by the Iranian military and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps comes as Iranian negotiators prepare to travel to Switzerland for technical-level talks with U.S. officials scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Iran’s Joint Forces Command said the strait blockade was in response to the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and what it described as the United States’ “malicious intentions” and non-compliance with its commitments under the ceasefire framework, the Associated Press reported. According to multiple news outlets, Iranian state television said “subsequent measures are being planned” if the so-called invasion continues.
At least 16 people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon early Saturday, the Associated Press reported, citing Lebanese authorities. Lebanon’s state news agency said seven people remained trapped under rubble in Nabatiyeh and nearby villages after the attack, according to the Associated Press.
However, the US military said the Strait of Hormuz was not closed and that it was monitoring the situation to ensure it remained open, Reuters reported.
“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told Reuters. “Traffic congestion continues and the U.S. military is monitoring the situation to ensure it continues.”
President Donald Trump has also indicated that his administration believes the strait is passable. He suggested that if the parties were unable to convert the interim agreement into a final agreement within 60 days, the U.S. could begin imposing fees on ships passing through the strait.
“There will be no tolls to pass through the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day ceasefire period. After the 60-day period, there will be no tolls unless the agreement is completed, by and on behalf of the United States,” he said in a post on Truth Social late Saturday, insisting that the charges were for “services rendered.”
Iran’s attempt to block the strait has again raised risks ahead of the talks in Switzerland. The talks are aimed at advancing an interim agreement reached by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday after nearly four months of war.
The signed memorandum called for the immediate suspension of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and the full reopening of the strait without Iranian toll collection for at least 60 days.
Vance and Iranian delegation head to Switzerland
US Vice President J.D. Vance left Washington on Saturday for Switzerland for further negotiations with Iran, according to a White House report.
Before boarding the plane, the vice president told reporters that he hoped for progress on the “nuclear issue” and the “ceasefire issue in Lebanon.”
“Contrary to the headlines, things are actually getting better there (in Lebanon), but things are slowing down little by little,” he said. “It’s going to be something that we have to continually manage to make sure you know that both Israel and Lebanon are safe.”
Earlier, the Swiss Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a post on X that an Iranian delegation had arrived in Switzerland.
Vance sounded optimistic today, saying negotiations were progressing despite Iran’s recent threat to close the strait.
He said on Fox News that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Swiss special envoy Steve Witkoff were working out the technical details of the deal. He added that talks were “progressing well.”
Vance noted that tanker traffic has picked up sharply since the ceasefire was agreed.
“In fact, 16 million barrels of oil were extracted from the Strait of Hormuz yesterday,” Vance said. “This is a record that goes back to before the conflict began.”
He also said negotiators were focused on securing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile to make it “virtually impossible” for Iran to rebuild its nuclear program, while stressing that the United States would maintain significant economic influence even if Iran did not comply with the deal.
— Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report
