Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon
Iran's joint military command said the strait had been closed due to Israel's continued attacks in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iran's negotiators are heading to Switzerland for Iran-US talks on their interim deal.
Iran's central military command on Saturday said that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed again over Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon.
"It is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic," said the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters in a statement carried by state TV.
It called the move the "first step" in a response to what it described as a breach of Tehran's agreement with the United States.
"If the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations," it added.
Ships had begun transiting the waterway after the interim US-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week.
US military keeps watch after Iran announces Hormuz closure
Shortly after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the US military said Saturday it remained "present and vigilant" in the vital waterway.
"US forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect," US Central Command said in a statement.
Following the joint US-Israel strikes on Tehran on February 28, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, an important conduit for oil and gas shipments, to shipping traffic.
Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations as fighting flares in Lebanon
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group accused each other of violating the terms of a renewed ceasefire agreementannounced a day earlier by the US.
"Hezbollah continues to constantly violate the ceasefire," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X.
The Lebanon-based Hezbollah said on Saturday that Israel bore "full responsibility" for violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Ongoing Israeli attacks "are no longer just ceasefire agreement violations but represent clear aggression and a continuation of the war in every sense. Accordingly, full responsibility lies with the Israeli occupation" Hezbollah said in a statement. It added, Israel "has never adhered to ceasefire provisions" including the recent US-Iran interim agreement.
The 14-point interim agreement stipulates an "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," according to a senior US administration official.
Trump: No Strait of Hormuz tolls now or in future
US President Donald Trump has insisted that Iran must not charge tolls for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
His comments came hours after Tehran said it has once again closed the narrow waterway that carries a quarter of the world's oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.
Iranian officials cited Israel's continuing attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon for the decision.
The strait had only been open for a few days after traffic was halted when the war broke out on February 28.
"There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
However, he threatened that Washington may impose tolls should a deal to end the war not be finalized.
Trump said the fees would be levied "for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs."
Brokered by Pakistan, US and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Switzerland on Sunday to progress talks for a permanent end to the war.
Israel orders halt to fighting in Lebanon, army official
Israel's military (IDF) has received orders from the country's political leadership to halt fighting in southern Lebanon, an Israeli army official said.
"The IDF has received updated directives from the political echelon to cease fire," the official said in a statement, adding that the military was "not conducting proactive strikes," but "operating in a defensive manner within the security zone."
The statement disclosed that the IDF was operating in the area around Tebnit, in southern Lebanon.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have engaged in heavy clashes, with both sides trading blame for breaching the renewed US-brokered ceasefire.
Israeli strikes over the past two days killed around 100 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials. The IDF said five soldiers have been killed in the fighting.
