Iran's military command says Strait of Hormuz is closed again, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon

Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again and announcing that while its negotiators are going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there.

First, Iran’s joint military command said the strait had been closed, citing Israeli attacks and U.S. “bad faith” and “its clear breach of its commitments” by failing to end the war.

The statement on state television warned that “if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned.”

Minutes later, the state broadcaster said the country’s negotiating team was heading to Switzerland, a trip originally planned for Friday but canceled.

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, including an end to fighting in Lebanon, are upheld.

“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.

Ships had begun transiting the strait after the interim U.S.-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week.

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement. The persistent fighting threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.

Seven people remained trapped under the rubble after the strikes hit the southern town of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages, Lebanon’s National News Agency said.

Mediators were scrambling to halt the fighting between Israel and the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group, after a heavy exchange on Friday killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.

An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting the military to start targeting the militant group there. The official spoke anonymously in line with regulations. The army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants in southern Lebanon, including rocket-launching positions and Hezbollah command centers.

On Friday, Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said on X that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases hostilities.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had committed to the ceasefire but blamed Israel for violating it several times on Friday night. A statement issued by the group’s military wing said it would abide by the ceasefire but would also repel attacks by Israeli troops.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.

A new round of U.S.-backed talks between the Lebanese government and Israel is expected to take place in Washington next week.

Bagahei told state TV: “Any memorandum or agreement is ultimately tested when it enters the implementation phase.”

Iranian state television said the country’s negotiating team is going to Switzerland for talks with the U.S. over their interim deal on the war. The broadcaster cited a foreign ministry spokesperson in its report. The trip was originally planned for Friday but was canceled.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei told state TV: “Any memorandum or agreement is ultimately tested when it enters the implementation phase.”

Earlier this week, Iranian officials did not travel as planned to Switzerland, insisting that the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, told the semi-official ISNA news agency on Saturday that Pakistan’s interior minister will arrive in Iran as part of ongoing negotiations. Baghaei had said consultations through mediators were ongoing regarding the next phase of negotiations to draft a final U.S.-Iran agreement.

Because the initial deal was signed digitally earlier this week, the talks in Switzerland were not urgent, and plans were underway to hold a meeting in the coming days, he said.

The Swiss foreign ministry said diplomats were in talks on Saturday in the town of Bürgenstock on how to implement the U.S.-Iran deal, without offering details.

Vance confirmed in an interview on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends” on Saturday that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been on the ground in Switzerland “for a few hours dealing with some of the technical elements” regarding talks on implementation of the Iran memorandum of understanding.

Those talks are expected to be difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate.

The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear agreement, but the period can be extended. It outlines lucrative incentives if Iran does reach a new agreement, including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a $300 billion fund for postwar reconstruction.

Iran has already won some concessions. Following the signing of the interim deal, the U.S. lifted its blockade of Iran’s ports and is allowing it to sell its oil freely. The deal also calls for Iran’s assets to be unfrozen — though it’s not clear how quickly.