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Iran said Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, citing ceasefire violations after Israel continued deadly strikes in southern Lebanon overnight.
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warned ships not to approach the waterway, which Iran had committed to reopening under the interim peace deal signed this week. It said in a statement that vessels’ safety would be at risk if they did so.
Iran’s top joint military command said the closure was the “first step” in response to what were described as breaches of commitments by the U.S. and Israel, according to Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency.
In a statement on X that did not acknowledge the apparent closure, U.S. Central Command said that 55 merchant ships transited the strait on Saturday, “moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.”
U.S. forces “remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” the statement said.
Iran and the U.S. have both shown frustration with Israel for continuing to strike Lebanon despite the deal signed this week, which specified that fighting must end on all fronts, including Lebanon. Though Israel was not a direct party to that deal, Iran has warned that it would consider Israeli strikes a violation of the terms.
Early Saturday, Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people, including two children, according to Lebanese civil defense and media, one day after the U.S. said Israel and Hezbollah had implemented a fresh ceasefire at President Donald Trump’s request.
Israel hit a series of towns across Lebanon’s south early Saturday, Lebanese news agency NNA reported. An airstrike on the town of Arabsalim reportedly killed three people, the agency reported, and a drone strike on the town of Deir al-Zahrani reportedly killed one person. At least seven people remain trapped under the rubble, it said. Lebanon’s army said a soldier was killed between Kfar Rumman and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.
A previous wave of strikes on Friday killed 83 people, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, had breached the ceasefire and “launched more than 50 projectiles toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon” overnight, and that Israel had attacked what it described as Hezbollah targets in response. “The IDF remains committed to the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.
Hezbollah said it had “adhered to the ceasefire since Friday evening,” accusing Israel of making false claims to justify its attacks in an effort to “sabotage the agreement” between Iran and the U.S.
The continued military bombardment has threatened to derail the fragile U.S. peace talks with Iran. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Switzerland on Saturday “dealing with some of the technical elements of this negotiation,” Vice President JD Vance told Fox News.
Speaking before Iran’s Hormuz announcement, Vance said he expected to join them “sometime the next couple of days,” adding that he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner and that it is his understanding that “things are going well.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced “technical-level talks” will take place Sunday, with U.S. and Iranian representatives joined by mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, told Iranian media the trip was a “mission to demand the fulfillment of the other side’s obligations,” adding that “negotiations for a final agreement” will begin when such obligations are implemented.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will lead the Iranian delegation, he said, according to Iranian state TV.
Officials from Tehran and Washington were originally set to meet in Switzerland on Friday to begin 60 days of negotiations on a “final” deal, but those talks were postponed. The negotiations are meant to resolve some of the thorniest issues in the deal that are yet to be agreed upon, including Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. spy agencies believe that Israel will likely continue to launch attacks against the militant group in Lebanon, potentially jeopardizing the tentative peace deal, according to a source with knowledge of the intelligence assessments.
Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon have worsened a widening rift between the Trump administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who have criticized the Iran deal as not in Israel’s interest and agitated for more strikes on Lebanon. Netanyahu is also facing a crucial election in October and will likely need the support of the Israeli far right to stay in power.
“Netanyahu is in a challenging political spot,” Jonathan Panikoff, a former career intelligence officer now at the Atlantic Council think tank, told NBC News in an email. “When combined with the broad view that Iran has emerged strategically stronger, Netanyahu finds himself trapped.”
Netanyahu’s vow to occupy southern Lebanon and Israel’s decision to strike both Iran and Lebanon while an initial deal was being hammered out repeatedly delayed talks, fueling frustration among U.S. officials.
Vance hit out at Israeli officials on Thursday, saying that Israel does not appreciate American support.
U.S.-Iran talks postponed as Vance cancels Switzerland trip
Despite the rising tensions over Lebanon, there had been hope that ships trapped in the Persian Gulf will be able to transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the deal was signed. Industry experts have warned, however, that it could take weeks for the shipping traffic to fully normalize, given that the threat of mines still needs to be cleared.
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Friday that Israeli forces will continue to operate in southern Lebanon and “do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians.”
Mithil Aggarwal is a Hong Kong-based reporter/producer for NBC News.
Dan De Luce is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
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