Iran closes Hormuz again over Israel's Lebanon strikes, Vance says it's still open

Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, has announced the closure of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic, citing what it described as violations of a ceasefire memorandum by the United States and Israel, according to Iranian news agency Mehr. In a statement, the military command said the closure was being implemented in response to what it called a "clear breach of trust" by the United States and Israel's continued alleged violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

The Mehr report surfaced even as US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that he remained confident the ceasefire outlined in Washington's 14-point agreement with Tehran would hold, adding that the United States had seen no evidence suggesting the Strait of Hormuz had been closed to maritime traffic.

"My understanding is things are going well. But of course, we're going to verify all of this.



And that's the thing that, you know, a lot of the criticisms of the deal have really underappreciated is that the United States has all the cards. The Straits are now open. The Iranian military is now destroyed," he said to the Fox News.

Iran described the move as the "first step" in its response and warned that additional measures could follow if what it termed "aggression" continued. The statement suggested that Tehran views recent developments as a violation of commitments outlined in the first clause of the ceasefire memorandum.

In a statement later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed to all vessel traffic, warning ships against approaching the strategic waterway and saying their security could be at risk if they do so.

Meanwhile, US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins refuted the claims that Hormuz is closed.