Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli strikes on Lebanon
Iran’s military command said on Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon as a breach of the memorandum of understanding it signed with the United States. Tehran’s foreign ministry framed the move as a “reciprocal” measure and warned of further steps if Washington fails to enforce the agreement’s terms.
The strait is the single most important chokepoint for seaborne oil — roughly a fifth of the world’s crude and much of the Gulf’s liquefied natural gas transit it — so any sustained closure carries direct consequences for energy prices. The waterway had only reopened days earlier after the broader ceasefire took hold, making this a reversal of one of the deal’s first visible dividends.
The closure is a separate pressure point from the strikes themselves : because the Lebanon front is written into the same agreement as the Iran track, Tehran is using the chokepoint as leverage to force Washington to rein in Israel. US envoys and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are nonetheless still expected to meet Sunday in Switzerland, leaving the talks and the threat to shipping running in parallel. The near-term test is whether Iran’s announcement translates into actual interference with traffic or remains a bargaining signal ahead of the meeting.