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Iran shuts Strait of Hormuz over Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon
It said that the closure was the "first step" in response to breaches of commitments and warned that further measures would be taken if "aggression" continued.
Iran on Saturday closed the Strait of Hormuz over alleged ceasefire violations by the US and Israel days after agreeing over peace deal, Iranian media reported.
Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said the crucial waterway would be closed to vessel traffic, citing alleged violations of a ceasefire agreement by the US and Israel, according to Mehr state news agency.
In a statement to state TV, the military also warned that “if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned.”
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"In view of the flagrant bad faith and breach of covenant by America regarding the failure to implement the first clause of the end-of-war agreement, and in reaction to the relentless and continuous violation of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon and the brutal massacre and displacement of hundreds of thousands of the oppressed people of this land, and also in light of the occupying Zionist forces' refusal to withdraw from the lands of southern Lebanon, it declares that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to the passage of vessels," the agency wrote in a post on X.
The Iranian military said the closure was the "first step" in response to what it described as breaches of commitments and warned that further measures would be taken if "aggression" continued.
However, shortly after the announcement, the Iranian media said that negotiating team was heading to Switzerland “in the coming minutes,” a trip originally planned for Friday.
The development comes after Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, on Saturday. Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a ceasefire agreement on Friday.
Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry has said that the agreement signed with the US will be "in trouble" unless its provisions are implemented soon.
"The other side must take the necessary measures as soon as possible. Otherwise, the entire understanding will be in trouble," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to IRNA news agency.
