Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again: Tehran says negotiating team with US is heading to Switzerland
Iran dealt a setback to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, citing anger over Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon. Tehran announced
Iran dealt a setback to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, citing anger over Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon. Tehran announced that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz and signalled limited expectations from upcoming negotiations in Switzerland, even as its representatives prepared to attend the talks, AP reported. First, Iran’s joint military command said the strait had been closed, citing the Israeli attacks and U.S. “bad faith” and “clear breach of its commitments” by failing to end the war. Its statement on state television warned that “if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned.” Shortly after that, the state broadcaster announced that Iran’s negotiating team was heading to Switzerland “in the coming minutes,” a trip that was originally planned for Friday, AP reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei, however, signaled that little might happen until Iran feels the U.S. is living up to the deal. “This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations,” he said, adding that negotiations toward a final agreement will begin only once key commitments are upheld. If they are not, he said, “then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized.” Ships had begun transiting the strait after the interim U.S.-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week, a milestone that has left plenty of questions unanswered. Israeli attacks in Lebanon kill at least 16 Earlier Saturday, Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement there.
Seven people remained trapped under the rubble after the strikes hit the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages, Lebanon’s News Agency said. The death toll from the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has exceeded 4,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Meanwhile, mediators were intensifying efforts to secure a ceasefire after a major exchange of attacks on Friday left at least 47 people dead in Lebanon and claimed the lives of four Israeli soldiers. An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. The official spoke anonymously in line with regulations. Israel's army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants in southern Lebanon, including Hezbollah command centers. On Friday, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases hostilities, AP reported. On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had committed to the ceasefire but blamed Israel for violating it several times Friday night. A statement by the group's military wing said it would abide by the ceasefire but would also repel attacks by Israeli troops. Vance leaves for Switzerland? U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Saturday that negotiations are underway in Switzerland and said he will travel there in the coming days after cancelling a planned trip on Thursday night, as reported by CNN. “I expect that I will leave sometime the next couple of days, but you know it’s always a delicate coordination dance, and the diplomatic protocols,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News.
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