The Iranian military said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, accusing Israel’s air strikes in southern Lebanon of breaching the terms of Tehran’s agreement with the United States. The deal, signed earlier this week by the U.S. and Iranian presidents, includes a commitment to “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” according to the Iranian military, and also provides for the reopening of the strait.
A U.S. Central Command spokesperson, Tim Hawkins, disputed the Iranian claim, telling media outlets that “traffic continues to flow” and that U.S. forces were “monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.” Hawkins said that “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.” Tracking data monitored by BBC Verify suggested at least five tankers passed through the strait on Saturday, while some vessels appeared to have made U-turns in the area. Centcom said earlier Saturday that 55 merchant ships transited and that commercial traffic had increased.
The competing announcements came as Vice-President JD Vance departed Washington on Saturday for direct U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland. Vance told reporters he hoped to make progress “on the nuclear issue” and on the “Lebanon ceasefire issue.” Asked about clashes between Israel and Hezbollah and Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon, Vance said: “Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit.” He added that the goal was “to make the whole region safe and secure.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said his country would be “demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to attend the start of the talks, his office told the BBC. Pakistan has acted as a mediator throughout the conflict and hosted a previous round of negotiations in Islamabad in April.
President Donald Trump posted on social media Saturday that the U.S. could impose its own tolls on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz if a negotiated deal was not reached.
The Iranian announcement followed Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday that killed at least 20 people, according to local reports, less than 24 hours after a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced. Lebanon’s health ministry said 4,057 people had been killed since the re-start of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2. The Israeli military said it had struck “dozens” of Hezbollah targets after the Iran-backed group fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces. Israel said an Israeli soldier was killed in battle in southern Lebanon on Saturday. An Israeli strike also killed a family of four in the town of Barich, Lebanese state media reported.
Israel and Hezbollah have each accused the other of repeatedly violating Friday’s ceasefire. Hezbollah said Israeli attacks in Lebanon were an attempt to “sabotage” the broader U.S.-Iran deal. The U.S. government has criticized Israel’s ongoing operations in Lebanon, which was drawn into the war after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
About 20 million barrels of oil and oil products passed through the Strait of Hormuz per day in 2025, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passing through the waterway. Iran effectively first blocked the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked the country on February 28.