TEHRAN/WASHINGTON: Iran said it was once again closing the vital Strait of Hormuz on Saturday over Zionist attacks in Lebanon that killed at least 20, as Iranian and US negotiators prepared to converge on Switzerland for talks on implementing a deal to end the Middle East war. Follow-up negotiations had been planned in Switzerland on Friday, but were postponed at the last minute as the Zionist entity carried out a wave of deadly strikes in Lebanon after four of its soldiers were killed in combat.
The US announced a renewed ceasefire there on Friday afternoon — a stipulation under the deal it signed with Iran — but Zionist troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters and conducted strikes again on Saturday. Citing a US “breach of contract” and “the Zionist regime’s continuous and relentless violation of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon”, Iran’s central military command announced Saturday “that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic”.
The Revolutionary Guards’ naval force warned vessels not to approach the waterway, “otherwise, their security will be jeopardized”. The US military’s Central Command said after the announcement that its “forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to”.
An Iranian delegation left for Switzerland on Saturday afternoon, state media reported, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei saying they would “demand implementation of the other party’s commitments” under the deal as soon as possible. After postponing a planned trip the day before, US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Saturday that he too expected to travel to Switzerland for talks in “the next couple of days, but you know it’s always a delicate coordination dance”.
US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already in Switzerland handling “some of the technical elements” and had reported that “things are going well”, Vance added, just moments before the Iranian announcement about the Hormuz strait. Mediator Pakistan — whose interior minister was reportedly in Iran on Saturday for meetings with officials — said “technical-level talks” were scheduled for Sunday. – AFP
