Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz for the second time on Saturday, citing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon and what its joint military command called US “bad faith” and a “clear breach of its commitments.”
The announcement, carried on state television, warned that “if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned.”
The closure came days after ships had resumed transiting the strait following the signing of an interim US-Iran agreement, which had been hailed as a milestone in reducing regional tensions. That deal called for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and the reopening of the waterway, which carries a substantial share of the world’s oil and gas exports.
Shortly after the military announcement, Iran’s state broadcaster said Tehran’s negotiating team was departing for Switzerland, a trip that had been postponed from Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei made clear the delegation was not travelling to make progress on a final agreement. “This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations,” he said, adding that substantive negotiations would begin only once key commitments were met. If they were not, he warned, “then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized.”
The talks are being complicated by fighting that neither Israel nor Hezbollah, as non-signatories to the deal, are bound to halt. Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon earlier on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children, in and around the city of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. The overall death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict has now passed 4,000, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Hezbollah said it had committed to a ceasefire but accused Israel of violating it multiple times on Friday night, adding that its military wing would continue to repel Israeli troop movements. An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously in line with regulations, said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces overnight. Israel’s army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and command centres across southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in the south until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to stand down unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanese territory, a condition Iran says is also part of the deal with Washington.
A new round of US-backed talks between Israel and the Lebanese government is expected to take place in Washington next week.
