Strait of Hormuz shut again as Iran warns 'if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned'

Iran said on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic, a move announced by the country’s top joint military command as it accused the US and Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement tied to the wider regional conflict.

The decision came as Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon, where the fighting has threatened to derail a fragile diplomatic opening that had only just begun to take shape.

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A gambit upon troubled waters

According to Reuters, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s top joint military command, said the closure was the “first step” in response to what it described as breaches of commitments and warned that further measures would follow if “aggression” continued.

The command cited Israeli attacks in Lebanon and US “bad faith” and a “clear breach of its commitments” for failing to end the war. In a statement carried on state television, the command warned that “if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. Ships had begun transiting the waterway after the interim US-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week.

That agreement had reopened the strait after Iran previously shut it during the war, cutting off a major route for global oil and natural gas supplies.

Diplomacy hangs by a slender thread

The Iranian response came alongside a new warning from Tehran that the diplomatic track could stall unless Washington lived up to its commitments.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei said, “This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations,” adding that negotiations toward a final agreement would begin only once key commitments were upheld.

He said that if they were not, “then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized.” Iran’s negotiating team was heading to Switzerland, with talks originally planned for Friday. US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already there working through technical details.

Meanwhile, the guns have not fallen silent

On the ground in southern Lebanon, the violence continued to exact a heavy toll. Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people, including two children.

Seven people were trapped under rubble after attacks on Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. Lebanon’s health ministry later said the death toll in the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah had surpassed 4,000.

Mediators were scrambling to stop the fighting after a heavy exchange on Friday killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.

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FAQs

Q1: Why is the Strait of Hormuz important?

Ans: The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global shipping route through which a significant share of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass.

Q2: Why did Iran close the Strait of Hormuz?

Ans: Iran said it closed the waterway in response to what it described as ceasefire violations by the US and Israel and continued military action in Lebanon.