Just days after the grand declarations and televised signing ceremonies for a “memorandum of understanding” with the United States, Iran has begun violating the agreement. The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters of Iran’s military forces announced Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed to traffic, citing “violations of commitments by the United States and in response to the Zionist regime’s ongoing violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon.” In light of this, Israel has ordered a ceasefire in the north. A senior Israeli political source said: “If Hezbollah attacks us again—we will strike it again.”
The Iranian statement said “the closure of the strait is the first step in response to the enemy’s violation of commitments, and that if the aggression continues, additional pre-planned measures will be taken.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy also escalated its threats, issuing a severe warning to all vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz: “Do not approach the strait—otherwise your safety will be in danger.”
Despite the blatant violation, the Americans appear determined to continue negotiations with Tehran at any cost. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s envoys, have already landed in Switzerland, and according to a CNN report, Vice President JD Vance is also expected to fly to Switzerland for the start of the talks. There the Americans will meet with the Iranian delegation led by Iranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command is trying to “calm the waters” and is denying the Iranian announcement about closing the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased on June 20, and that safe passage through the international waterway remained normal Saturday as well, with 55 merchant ships passing through the strait carrying large quantities of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to markets around the world.
The reason for the Iranian announcement, according to the terror regime, is the strikes by Israeli forces in Lebanon due to the repeated violations by the murderous terror organization Hezbollah. The terror organization continues to attack Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon, just one day after the IDF spokesman’s announcement about the deaths of Lt. Col. Dor Galdia Ben Shimchon, Neve Havshush, and two additional fallen soldiers in the difficult incident in Lebanon.
According to the IDF spokesman’s statement, in several different incidents throughout Friday night, the terror organization Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon. These constitute repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement. Israeli forces struck dozens of terror infrastructure sites and terrorists from the terror organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon overnight, and among the targets struck were rocket launch positions, weapons storage facilities, and command centers.
A senior political source said the prime minister reiterated that Israel will remain in the security zone as long as necessary to defend its northern border. Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed Israeli forces to respond forcefully to every Hezbollah attack and to act to remove threats against Israeli forces. In response to Hezbollah attacks over the past two days, Israeli forces struck 300 terror targets and eliminated about 100 terrorists. It was also reported that if Hezbollah attacks us again—we will strike it again forcefully.