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The U.S. military contradicted that, while conflicting statements by Israel and Hezbollah further complicated the looming talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran’s military declared Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz is closed due to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, The Associated Press reported citing Iranian state media, on the eve of detailed talks about a long-term peace deal.
U.S. Central Command countered shortly afterward that commercial ship traffic in the strait actually increased Saturday.
“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case,” CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said later, adding that the U.S. military has not tracked any movement from Iran to close the strait so far.
Iran blamed Israel for violating a freshly announced ceasefire with Hezbollah by continuing to attack targets in Lebanon. The Israeli military, in turn, accused the Tehran-backed militia of breaking the terms first.
The conflicting statements about the crucial maritime chokepoint and the state of play in Lebanon come as U.S. and Iran officials head to Switzerland to dig into specifics after landing a much-trumpeted but vague memorandum of understanding earlier this week.
Two senior Pakistan government officials confirmed to MS NOW that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir will travel to Switzerland to join the U.S. and Iran in negotiations. Pakistan has been a key mediator in discussions between the warring parties.
Access to the Strait of Hormuz, which was unfettered before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, has been a major point of leverage for Iran in the war. Iran agreed to reopen the strait to commercial vessels as part of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S.; American officials had feared Iran might renege on that amid ongoing talks.
Vice President JD Vance said Saturday morning on Fox News that there was no evidence that the strait remains closed, though he acknowledged that mines in the waterway may continue to affect commercial routes. It was unclear if Vance was aware of the latest reporting on the strait during his morning interview.
Vance said special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had been on the ground in Switzerland “for a few hours dealing with some of the technical elements” regarding talks on implementation of the memo.
The vice president departed for Switzerland on Saturday afternoon, shortly after the Iranian delegation had arrived. He told reporters they would likely have a “couple days of talks” and said U.S. officials will be focusing on making progress on discussions about Iran’s nuclear program and the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Israel to tamp down its strikes in Lebanon so as to not derail U.S. negotiations with Iran. Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah has killed nearly 3,900 people since March 2, according to the Lebanese Public Health Ministry, the vast majority in southern Lebanon.
“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody,” Trump said Tuesday, chastising Israel. “Because there are a lot of people in those houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah.”
A U.S. official told MS NOW on Friday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yichael Leiter said on X that the country halted offensive operations Friday morning local time, but Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon to fight Hezbollah.
Despite the ceasefire Friday, U.S. intelligence agencies believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to continue attacking the group in Lebanon even if it hinders long-term peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, a U.S. official with knowledge of the matter told MS NOW. The U.S. intelligence assessment was first reported by The Washington Post.
Lebanon’s civil defense agency said Saturday that Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people in the south overnight. The Israeli Defense Forces accused Hezbollah of firing dozens of projectiles toward soldiers in southern Lebanon.
Clarissa-Jan Lim
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
Emily Hung
Emily Hung is an associate White House producer for MS NOW.
David Rohde
David Rohde is the senior national security reporter for MS NOW and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. Previously he was the senior executive editor for national security and law for NBC News.
Inzamam Rashid
Inzamam Rashid is a MS NOW contributor and Monocle’s Gulf Correspondent based in Dubai. He has previously reported for Sky News and the BBC
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