Tehran said Saturday it is closing the strait to maritime traffic and threatened further measures. US Vice President Vance is reportedly set to fly to Switzerland for talks with the Iranian delegation, while Israel's PM Netanyahu ordered a strong response to any Hezbollah attack.
Iran announced an immediate closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday evening, according to a journalist's report — the third escalation in a single day after the IRGC first declared a formal blockade in the early hours and then moved to a complete closure from 17:52 Jerusalem. Tehran said the step was a response to violations of the agreement, without specifying which side had breached it. The move comes hours after Iran confirmed it would send a delegation to Switzerland for talks with the US, as The Zioneer reported at 17:39 Jerusalem — but conditioned any progress on Washington forcing Israel to halt operations in Lebanon.
Vice President JD Vance was now reported by CNN, cited by the C14 channel, to be planning to travel to Switzerland for a new round with the Iranian delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. That delegation has not yet departed, and it remains unclear whether Tehran still stands by its Saturday conditions for the talks. Separately, a senior Israeli political source told C14 that Prime Minister Netanyahu had ordered troops to respond forcefully to any Hezbollah attack and had clarified that Israel would maintain its northern security zone for as long as necessary. The IDF reported striking 300 terror targets and killing some 100 operatives over the preceding two days in response to Hezbollah attacks.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday (19 June), Iran had earlier frozen US talks and linked their resumption to a Lebanon ceasefire, warning it would keep the strait closed. On that same day, Supreme Leader Khamenei warned Washington not to be 'complacent,' and Iran canceled Switzerland talks, blaming Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. A separate Friday report from The Zioneer noted that Tehran had threatened to keep Hormuz shut until a full IDF withdrawal from Lebanon and a US regional withdrawal. Saturday's closure thus makes good on that threat, albeit after the signing of the MOU on Monday and Trump's subsequent claim that the deal had been signed in full. The episode remains a volatile, multi-front crisis: the status of the Vance trip, the viability of any diplomatic process, and any direct engagement between Israel and Hezbollah are all open questions.
It remains unclear whether the Vance trip has been confirmed by the White House or the Vice President's office; whether the Iranian delegation will in fact travel; whether the closure is being enforced beyond the IRGC's own declaration; and whether any Hezbollah ceasefire violations will trigger an expanded Israeli ground or air response.
6 developments
- ConfirmedIran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz as Hezbollah rocket fire continues in south Lebanon
- StrongIranian state media calls on foreign ministry to close Strait of Hormuz over Israel's Lebanon presence
- StrongIran threatens indefinite Hormuz closure, blocks IAEA inspections as Israeli officials warn of shifting U.S. support
- StrongIran reportedly closes Strait of Hormuz as IDF braces for multi-day fighting
Source and signal
- Internal intake