Iran's military on Saturday said it will again close the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, citing alleged Israeli violations of a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon that formed part of a recent framework deal between Tehran and Washington.
In a statement reported in Iranian media, the military also pointed to Israel's continued presence in southern Lebanon and said shutting the key waterway for the global oil trade was "the first step" in responding to the "enemy's breach of trust."
It warned that further measures could follow if "aggression continues."
US military to keep strait open
After Iran's announcement, the US military said it intends to continue enforcing freedom of navigation.
Shipping increased on Saturday "as U.S. forces continued operating in the general area to support freedom of navigation," the US regional command Centcom said on X. It said 55 vessels carrying, among other things, 17 million barrels of oil had passed through the strait.
Centcom said the military remains on site to ensure that all arrangements of the framework agreement "are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect."
Only days ago, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that included a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, a halt to hostilities between Washington and Tehran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday, Pakistan announced that the technical-level talks between Iran and the US to hammer out the complex operational details of their framework agreement will begin on Sunday.
US and Iranian representatives, as well as mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, will take part in the talks, the statement said.
The Hezbollah militia, Tehran's most important regional ally, and Israel have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire, which according to a US administration official took effect on Friday. Iran has called on Washington to pressure Israel to comply with the truce.
The durability of the truce was immediately called into question as both sides accused each other of violations. Israel military said it would continue to act against any threat to the country and its soldiers, while Hezbollah said it would resist any attempt by Israel to take control of territory in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military on Saturday accused the Shiite militia of firing more than 50 projectiles overnight at Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.
Numerous Israeli airstrikes killed people across Lebanon, with civil defence authorities saying they recovered 16 bodies in the southern city of Nabatiyeh alone, Lebanese media reported.
For Tehran, linking developments in Lebanon to its agreement with the US is part of a new security doctrine, Simon Wolfgang Fuchs, a Middle East expert and professor of Islamic studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told dpa.
The strategy seeks to tie the fates of Tehran and Beirut more closely together, he said. Iran has also threatened not to sign a final settlement with the US until Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon.
Iran had largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of war on February 28. Roughly 20% of global energy trade passes through the narrow waterway. The closure highlighted the vulnerability of global supply chains and had major repercussions for international energy markets.
