Iran closes Strait of Hormuz after accusing US and Israel of breaching ceasefire
On Saturday, Tehran warned ships not to approach the waterway, a vital conduit for global oil and gas supplies
By Maira Butt
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have declared the Strait of Hormuz closed after accusing the US and Israel of violating a newly-signed peace deal.
The top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said that the closure was the "first step" in response to what it described as breaches of commitments to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Donald Trump on Wednesday.
It came as state media in Lebanon reported 16 people had been killed in Israeli attacks. An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, and that Israel had attacked what it described as Hezbollah targets in response.
A ceasefire in Lebanon was one of the stipluations of the interim deal.
On Saturday, Tehran warned ships not to approach the waterway, a vital conduit for global oil and gas supplies.
But despite the Iran’s announcement on Strait, the US responded by denying it had been closed.
US Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said: "Traffic continues to flow, and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case." More than 50 merchant ships went through the Strait on Saturday, the US Central Command said.
Meanwhile, US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner touched down in Switzerland for talks to negotiate a deal that would limit Iran’s capacity to build nuclear weapons. US vice president JD Vance is expected to join discussions over the coming days.
Mr Vance said: “I expect that I will leave sometime in the next couple of days, but you know it's always a delicate coordination dance and the diplomatic protocols.”
Israeli strikes also killed five people including at least one child in Gaza, medics reported on Saturday as the death toll since a purported ceasefire surpassed 1,000 this week.
The US president instructed Israel to accept the terms of last week’s peace deal on Friday and told NBC News: "You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head”.
Over 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since 2 March.
While insisting he still has a “good” relationship with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed Israel would not exist without his support.
“Bibi Netanyahu worked well with me, but he will tell you, we’re the ones with the guns, we’re the ones with the whole deal, we’re the ones with the B-2 bombers, etc,” he told Axios on Friday. “If it weren’t for Donald Trump, Israel would have been eviscerated.”