Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15, 2026. Stringer | ReutersIran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday and warned vessels to stay away from the critical shipping route, but the U.S. denied those claims, stating the waterway remained open. Tensions between the two countries escalated just days after Tehran and Washington reached an interim agreement to end hostilities in the region.The announcement by Iran’s military and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came as Iranian negotiators prepared to travel to Switzerland for technical-level talks with U.S. officials scheduled to begin Sunday.Iran’s joint military command said the closure of the strait was in response to continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon and what it described as U.S. “bad faith” and a failure to uphold commitments under the truce framework, AP reported. Iranian state television said “subsequent steps have been planned” if what it called aggression continues, according to multiple outlets.Earlier Saturday, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, AP reported, citing Lebanese authorities. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said seven people remained trapped beneath rubble in Nabatiyeh and nearby villages following the attacks, according to AP.The U.S. military said the Strait of Hormuz had not been closed, however, and said that U.S. forces were monitoring the situation to ensure that it remained open, Reuters reported.”Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told Reuters. “Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”The attempt to shut down the strait again r …
