Iran announced Saturday that it has again shut the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the US of breaking their agreement by failing to rein in its ally after Israel launched fatal strikes in southern Lebanon. Ships nearing the passageway will be at risk, warned the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the New York Times reports. US Central Command pushed back on the claim of a shutdown, saying that Iran does not control the strait and that commercial traffic was still moving, with 55 merchant ships transiting Saturday—well below prewar levels. With the future of the ceasefire increasingly in doubt, Vice President JD Vance headed to Switzerland later in the day for talks with Iranian negotiators.
Vance has said recently that whenever the US and Iran seem close to an agreement, Israel strikes in Lebanon, per the Washington Post. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled his government does not consider himself bound by terms it did not agree to. "I can only be there for a day or two," Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Saturday evening. "I think we're going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue." The ships that made it through the strait are carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil, Central Command posted on X. The statement added that US forces "remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to," per NBC News.
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