Iran says it's closing Strait of Hormuz again

US President Donald Trump has insisted that Iran must not charge tolls for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

His comments came hours after Tehran said it has once again closed the narrow waterway that carries a quarter of the world's oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.

Iranian officials cited Israel's continuing attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon for the decision.

The strait had only been open for a few days after traffic was halted when the war broke out on February 28.

"There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

However, he threatened that Washington may impose tolls should a deal to end the war not be finalized.

Trump said the fees would be levied "for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs."

Brokered by Pakistan, US and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Switzerland on Sunday to progress talks for a permanent end to the war.

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group accused each other of violating the terms of a renewed ceasefire agreementannounced a day earlier by the US.

"Hezbollah continues to constantly violate the ceasefire," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X.

The Lebanon-based Hezbollah said on Saturday that Israel bore "full responsibility" for violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Ongoing Israeli attacks "are no longer just ceasefire agreement violations but represent clear aggression and a continuation of the war in every sense. Accordingly, full responsibility lies with the Israeli occupation" Hezbollah said in a statement. It added, Israel "has never adhered to ceasefire provisions" including the recent US-Iran interim agreement.

The 14-point interim agreement stipulates an "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," according to a senior US administration official.

 

Shortly after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the US military said Saturday it remained "present and vigilant" in the vital waterway. 

"US forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect," US Central Command said in a statement. 

Following the joint US-Israel strikes on Tehran on February 28, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, an important conduit for oil and gas shipments, to shipping traffic.

Pakistan, a key mediator in US-Iran talks, said technical talks to implement the interim deal to end the war in the Middle East would take place in Switzerland on Sunday.

"As a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, technical-level talks will be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on 21 June," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

It added Pakistani and Qatari mediators would join the negotiations with US and Iranian representatives. 

Iranian state television reported on Saturday that the country's negotiating team is heading to Switzerland for talks with Washington. The trip had originally been scheduled for Friday but was canceled.

"This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Bagahei told state TV. 

The announcement came shortly after Iran's joint military command said the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again because of continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

The ongoing hostilities have strained the US-Iran interim agreement.

Bagahei also said that talks to reach a final agreement will begin only once key commitments, including an end to fighting in Lebanon, are fulfilled.

"If any part of these understandings, any part of these commitments, is not implemented, then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized," Bagahei said.

Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said on Saturday that he expects to travel to Switzerland soon for talks with Iranian officials.

In an interview with Fox News, Vance said he remained confident that the 14-point memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran would hold. He also said he had seen no evidence that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed. 

Iran's central military command on Saturday said that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed again over Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon.

"It is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic," said the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters in a statement carried by state TV.

It called the move the "first step" in a response to what it described as a breach of Tehran's agreement with the United States.

"If the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations," it added.

Ships had begun transiting the waterway after the interim US-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week.

DW's David Levitz discusses the backlash within the Republican Party over President Donald Trump's Iran deal with Washington correspondent Benjamin Alvarez Gruber and Middle East analyst Giorgio Cafiero.

According to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Israeli forces used the Friday ceasefire to advance into strategic hills that overlook the the Lebanese city of Nabatieh.

"Again, under the cover of the ceasefire, the enemy last night carried out an infiltration attempt towards the Ali Taher hills," the group said in a statement released on Saturday.

The Iran-backed Islamist faction said it engaged the Israeli troops.

Hezbollah restated its commitment to the ceasefire, but warned "it will not be lenient in confronting any enemy attempt.... to expand its occupation."

The death toll in Lebanon kept mounting on Saturday, with the country's civil defense agency reporting that16 people have been killed in the ongoing Israeli strikes on the Nabatieh district.

According to the agency, rescuers have been working "since the early morning hours" and 12 more wounded people were transported to the hospital.

The escalation comes after Israel and Hezbollah reportedly agreed to a ceasefire that was scheduled to go into effect on Friday afternoon.

Lebanon's state-run NNA agency reported that seven people, including at least one soldier and two children, were killed as the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah continued on Saturday despite the truce announced on Friday. The NNA also reported Israeli airstrikes and explosions at different locations in southern Lebanon.

The persistent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah puts pressure on their respective allies, the US and Iran, as they pursue a peace framework for the Iran war. A similar flareup on Friday was enough to postpone scheduled talks between US Vice President JD Vance and senior Iranian leaders in the Swiss Alps.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Israel foresees an end to the fighting in Lebanon and calls for respecting Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity. Israel and Hezbollah, however, are not parties to the deal. 

Yesterday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said IDF forces will stay in Lebanon "as long as necessary," seemingly defying pressure from Tehran and its ally the US to wrap up the conflict. While the news of a ceasefire broke just hours later, Israel is now accusing Hezbollah, which considered a terror group by the US, Germany and other countries, of "blatant" ceasefire violations.

The Israeli military confirmed that it was firing at Lebanon on Saturday, but accused Hezbollah of breaking the latest ceasefire.

"Overnight, the Hezbollah terrorist organization launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon," an IDF military official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

In response, Israel has been hitting "Hezbollah terrorist targets," the official added.

Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, is both an Iran-backed Shiite militia and a political party in the religiously diverse country. Also on Saturday, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said his group had the right to respond to Israeli attacks.

"For us, what concerns us is that the enemy fully and comprehensively respects the ceasefire, and doesn't attempt to attack our country and villages or seek to occupy any new position," Fadlallah said in a statement, adding that "the resistance has the full right to confront this enemy when it attacks us, as it is the aggressor and the occupier."

With US-Iran talks in Switzerland still in doubt, Iran's state news agency, IRNA, reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was traveling to Tehran on Saturday.

Naqvi is scheduled to meet "high-ranking Iranian officials" and "follow up on the progress of negotiations" with the United States, according to the report.

Pakistan has positioned itself as a mediator in the ongoing conflict, with Naqvi visiting Iran several times since the war broke out in late February.

His latest visit, earlier this week, saw Naqvi meet with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

 

Israel launched a new round of strikes against targets in southern Lebanon overnight, killing five people, according to Lebanese news agency NNA.

The state-run agency reported that the Israeli military used jets, drones and artillery against residential buildings. The Israeli military, or Israel Defense Forces, did not immediately comment.

The news comes just hours after Israel agreed to a ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia based in Lebanon.

Any renewed fighting in Lebanon could threaten US and Iranian efforts to restart the peace process in Switzerland.

US diplomat Steve Witkoff, who serves as Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, is on his way to Switzerland, where he is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, US media reported on Saturday.

The talks come after US Vice President JD Vance canceled his own trip on Friday.

Washington and Tehran were hoping to work out the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on ending the Iran war. Those plans were disrupted due to renewed fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Hezbollah is deemed a terror group by Israel, Germany, the US and many other countries. 

It was not clear if Vance is also traveling to Switzerland on Saturday. However, reports indicated Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also acted the White House envoy in the Middle East, will attend the renewed talks.