Iran Claims Hormuz Closure as Israel Orders Northern Ceasefire

Iran said on Saturday that it had blocked the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, citing what it called U.S. violations of commitments and Israel’s repeated breaches of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon. The announcement came only days after a memorandum of understanding with the United States, and Tehran warned that if the “aggression” continues, it will take additional preplanned steps. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards naval forces also warned vessels not to approach the strait, saying their safety would be at risk.

The Israeli side said the northern front was ordered into a ceasefire. A senior political source said, “If Hezbollah returns to attack us, we will strike it again.” The article said the reason for Iran’s move was Israeli attacks in Lebanon in response to repeated Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire. Israel said Hezbollah continued firing on its forces in southern Lebanon, including more than 50 launches overnight in several incidents, a day after the military announced the deaths of Lt. Col. Dor Galidya Ben Shimon and three other soldiers in a serious clash in Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah terror targets overnight in southern Lebanon, including rocket launch sites, weapons depots and command posts. Another senior political source said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reiterated that Israel would remain in the security buffer zone as long as needed to defend the northern border, and had ordered strong responses to any Hezbollah attack. Israel said that in response to Hezbollah attacks over the past two days, it struck 300 targets and killed about 100 militants.

Meanwhile, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had already arrived in Switzerland for talks with Iran, and CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance was also expected to travel there. The Iranian delegation is to be led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. U.S. Central Command denied Iran’s claim that the strait was closed, saying commercial shipping through Hormuz remained safe and normal, with 55 merchant vessels passing through on the day and carrying large cargoes and more than 17 million barrels of oil to markets worldwide.