Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli strikes in Lebanon

Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again After Israel Strikes Lebanon

Iran’s central military command announced on Saturday that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic, citing breaches of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding by the United States and Israel just days after the waterway had begun reopening under the terms of the deal.

The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement carried by Iranian state television that the closure is “a response to the enemy’s breach of promise,” warning that “if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations.”timesofisrael

Ceasefire Under Strain

The announcement came after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 47 people across Lebanon on Friday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, even as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced with a 4 p.m. local time start. Two Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Israel carried out a dozen airstrikes in the first hour after the ceasefire took effect.aljazeera

The violence escalated after four Israeli soldiers were killed when their tank was struck in the town of Kfarbnit in southern Lebanon, prompting the Israeli military to announce retaliatory strikes targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure. On Saturday morning, exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah continued.nytimes

Iran views the continued fighting in Lebanon as a direct violation of the MoU, which commits both sides to “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”foreignpolicy

A Fragile Deal Tested

The Islamabad MoU, brokered by Pakistan and signed electronically on June 15 by Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, was meant to end hostilities that began when the U.S. and Israel struck Iran on February 28. Under its terms, Iran committed to facilitating “the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days” through the strait, while the U.S. agreed to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports.npr

U.S. Central Command announced on Thursday that it had officially ended its blockade, and commercial traffic through Hormuz had been rising — reaching 25 vessels on Thursday, the highest since April, according to marine intelligence firm AXSMarine.cnn

Dueling Narratives

Vice President Vance, speaking on Fox News Saturday morning, downplayed the Iranian announcement, saying 16 million barrels had transited the strait in the prior 24 hours. “We have not observed any signs indicating that Iran is indeed shutting down the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.cnn

The closure marks at least the third time Iran has shut or threatened to shut the waterway since the war began, creating a pattern of openings and reversals that has roiled energy markets. The strait carries roughly a quarter of global oil flows, and its effective closure since March has constituted the largest disruption of oil supply in history.cnbc

Negotiations on a final deal are scheduled to begin Friday in Switzerland, with a 60-day deadline to reach a comprehensive agreement.reuters