Iran says it shut Strait of Hormuz over truce violations, but U.S. says it remains open

Iran says it shut Strait of Hormuz over truce violations, but U.S. says it remains open

Stakes raised ahead of Sunday talks between U.S., Iran to advance interim deal

Iran says it closed Strait of Hormuz, citing ceasefire violations

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance said on Saturday he expected to go to Switzerland soon for talks with Iran, even as Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the Strait of Hormuz shut, alleging U.S. and Israeli truce violations.

The U.S. military denied Iran's claims that it had ‌closed the critical waterway.

"Iran does not control ⁠the ⁠Strait of ‌Hormuz," U.S. Central Command spokesperson navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told Reuters. "Traffic continues ⁠to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ‌ensure this remains the case."

The announcement comes as Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 20 people, according to the Lebanese Civil Defence, hours after a ceasefire with Iranian-backed militia group Hezbollah took effect.

The move by the hardline IRGC appeared to raise the stakes ahead of the talks, as both sides seek to advance the interim deal signed on Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to end their almost four-month war.

The IRGC warned ships not to approach the waterway, a vital conduit for global oil and gas supplies, citing what it called Israeli "crimes" in Lebanon and a U.S. violation of commitments to establish a ceasefire. It said vessels' security would be at risk if they approached the strait.

A little earlier, Fox News aired an interview with Vance in which he said he was confident the ceasefire agreed to in Washington's 14-point deal with Tehran would hold and that he had seen no evidence that the strait was closed.

"I expect that I will leave sometime in the next couple of days, but you know it's always a delicate co-ordination dance and the diplomatic protocols," Vance said.

He added that U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff had been in Switzerland "for a few hours, dealing with some of the technical elements of this negotiation."

"My understanding, talking to Jared and Steve this morning, is things are going well," Vance said.

Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry said its negotiators would leave for Switzerland later in the day.

One of the conditions for starting 60 days of U.S.-Iranian talks on Tehran's nuclear program and other issues is a halt to fighting in Lebanon.

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Israel's military said it attacked Lebanon on Saturday, killing 20 people, because it was responding to projectiles fired by Hezbollah. Lebanon's state news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones hit multiple locations in the south and the Bekaa Valley.

An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at its forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting strikes on what the official said were "Hezbollah targets."

The Israeli military, which has occupied swaths of southern Lebanon, said in a statement that Hezbollah's attacks constituted repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement. It said it remained committed to the truce in accordance with political directives and would respond decisively to any attacks on Israeli civilians or troops.

Hezbollah also said it remained committed to the ceasefire but would respond to any attempt by Israel to "seize territory or expand its occupation."

The group said Israeli forces attempted overnight to infiltrate the Ali al-Taher hill area in southern Lebanon. It said its fighters engaged them, after which Israel carried out airstrikes inside and outside its declared operational area.

Violence highlights fragility of deal

A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not allow Israel "freedom of movement" in what it called occupied Lebanese territory, adding that resistance remained legitimate while Israeli forces remained in Lebanon.

The violence highlights the fragility of a truce intended to halt months of escalating violence, and of an interim peace deal between the U.S. and Iran that hinges in part on an end to the conflict in Lebanon.

One of the deadliest Israeli strikes hit a three-storey residential building in the southern town of Barish in the Tyre district, killing a father, mother and their two children, a local village official told Reuters.

The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike killed a soldier on the Kfarrumman-Nabatieh road and accused Israel of undermining efforts to restore stability.

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Israel's Arabic-language military spokesperson said calm could be achieved if Hezbollah halted what she described as hostile activity and violations of agreements, adding Israel's presence in a security zone aimed to remove threats and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure, not harm civilians.

The ceasefire was agreed to on Friday after a sharp escalation in hostilities. A U.S. official said it took effect at 4 p.m. local time that day, while a senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the agreement.

Lebanon's Health Ministry says at least 4,057 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medics, women and children, though it does not specify how many of the dead were combatants.

The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding announced this week calls for an immediate, permanent end to military operations by the parties and their allies across multiple fronts, including Lebanon. Israel, which was not part of those negotiations, has opposed provisions it says could constrain its campaign in Lebanon.