Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced on Saturday, June 20, that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed to maritime traffic, citing what it described as US failure to fulfil commitments under a recent end-of-war agreement and continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon.
In a statement carried by Iranian media, the military command said the move was a response to what it called Washington’s “breach of covenant” and Israel’s continued attacks despite ceasefire efforts in Lebanon.
The statement said the closure was intended to pressure parties to implement the agreement and warned that additional measures could follow if hostilities continue.
Ships had resumed transiting the strategic waterway after an interim US-Iran agreement was signed earlier this week, but Tehran said the continued fighting in Lebanon and what it described as US violations of the deal had prompted the renewed closure.
Technical-level talks set for Switzerland
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday that technical-level talks under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding will be held in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday, June 21.
According to the ministry, representatives from the United States and Iran, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, will participate in the discussions. The talks are being held as a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at advancing the understandings reached under the agreement.
The ministry said Pakistan would continue to facilitate the process in its role as a mediator, with the objective of supporting the implementation of commitments agreed upon by the parties.
Iranian delegation will travel to Switzerland
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said an Iranian delegation will travel to Switzerland to follow up on and demand the implementation of the other party’s commitments under the memorandum of understanding, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Baghaei said the start of negotiations on a final agreement remains conditional on the implementation of the memorandum’s five clauses. He added that Iran has fulfilled its obligations and expects reciprocal action from the other side.
“We have adhered to our commitments, and the opposing side is obligated to compel the Zionist regime to cease its attacks on Lebanon,” Baghaei said.
He warned that if parts of the agreement are not implemented, the entire memorandum could face difficulties. According to Baghaei, Iran’s approach is based on the principle of “commitment for commitment”, and any breach by the other side would be met with reciprocal measures.
Baghaei also said a previously planned trip had been cancelled after the memorandum was digitally signed by the presidents of the two countries, reducing the urgency for immediate implementation talks.
Iran rejects report of Araghchi trip to Switzerland for US talks
Earlier on Saturday, Iran denied reports that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is travelling to Switzerland for negotiations with US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying no talks will take place until Washington fulfils its obligations under a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU).
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Tehran rejected claims that Araghchi and Witkoff would soon meet in Switzerland. Iranian officials said no delegation would attend negotiations unless Article 13 of the MOU is fully implemented.
The statement came as fighting continued in Lebanon despite reports of ceasefire efforts, with Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killing at least seven people, including two children.
Iran sets conditions for resuming talks
Iran maintains that all negotiations with the United States, including discussions on its nuclear programme, remain suspended until key provisions of the agreement are fulfilled.
According to Tasnim, Tehran argues that Article 13 requires the United States to ensure an immediate end to military operations in Lebanon, including a permanent Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Iran also says Washington must issue Treasury waivers allowing Iranian oil exports and financial transactions and release up to USD 100 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
Iranian officials said further talks would have no justification while these commitments remain unimplemented.
Sixteen killed despite ceasefire efforts
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement. The persistent fighting threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
Lebanon’s National News Agency said the strikes hit the southern town of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. At least seven people remained trapped under the rubble, it said.
Mediators were scrambling to halt the fighting between Israel and the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group after a heavy exchange on Friday killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.
An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting the military to launch strikes against the group. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.
On Friday, June 19, Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said on X that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases hostilities.
In public statements, Hezbollah has said it will abide by a ceasefire if Israel does, but has not said a ceasefire was actually in place.
A Hezbollah official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said Friday after reports of a ceasefire deal emerged that efforts were underway by Qatar, the US and Iran to broker an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire but stopped short of confirming a deal had been reached.
A conflict that could sink the US-Iran deal
Hezbollah and Israel went to war just days after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon.
The interim US-Iran agreement signed this week has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed as the war unfolded — cutting off the global economy from significant supplies of oil and natural gas. The deal also envisages the relaunch of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme, a core issue in the war.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the deal, which calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for the country’s sovereignty to be respected. With the fighting continuing, the accord is under threat, and US-Iran talks in Switzerland, planned to start Friday, have been delayed, with no new date announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.
The fighting in the south, near the Israel-Lebanon border
Plumes of smoke rose into the sky over southern Lebanon Saturday, and Israeli jets flew low over the coastal city of Tyre.
A strike on the village of Barish killed four members of a family, the parents and two children. In Arab Salim village, a body was pulled from a destroyed house, and in the villages of Doueir and Kfar Rumman, drone strikes killed a person on a motorcycle and a Lebanese soldier.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately comment on the ceasefire efforts. On Friday, Netanyahu posted on X that, on his orders, the Israeli army had “struck powerfully” 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Israeli forces were operating in a “forward defence zone” and would continue doing so.
With inputs from Associated Press.
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