Iran says Strait of Hormuz will be closed over Israeli attacks on Lebanon

(BBC News) The Iranian military says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon.

Iran said Israel’s strikes in Lebanon are a breach of Tehran’s agreement with the US to end the war.

“Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, your security will be jeopardised,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said.

The US-Iran deal includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – a shipping channel through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

After Iran’s statement, US Central Command (Centcom) said safe passage through the strait “remained intact” and commercial ship traffic had increased on Saturday, with 55 merchant ships transiting.

It was not clear whether Centcom was referring to marine traffic before or after Tehran’s announcement.

The Iranian military accused the US of violating the US-Iran deal by not implementing the first clause of their 14-point memorandum of understanding, which agrees to “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.

About two dozen people have reportedly been killed by Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, less than 24 hours after a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced.

Iran’s top joint military command cited Israel’s “continuous and relentless violation of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon” in a statement on state TV as the reason for re-closing the strait.

“It is noted that this first step is a response to the enemy’s breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations.”

The move comes days after the US and Iranian presidents signed an initial agreement aiming to end the war, including in Lebanon, with immediate effect. It includes a commitment to further talks to reach a final deal over the next 60 days.

Israeli officials said then they had no intention of withdrawing Israel’s forces from Lebanon and insisted the conflict with the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah was separate from the war on Iran.

The Israeli military confirmed a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect at 16:00 local time (14:00 BST) on Friday, but later a spokesman said its forces would “continue to remove immediate threats”.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyekkwm1mmo