Strait of Hormuz closed again as Iran heads to negotiations with US
(NewsNation) — Iran said on Saturday it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz while sending a delegation to Switzerland to renew talks with the United States, increasing tensions even as diplomacy continues.
The White House confirmed days later that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would lead the talks Vice President J.D. Vance‘s trip to Switzerland was suddenly canceled on Friday.
Iranian state television announced that the country’s negotiation team will go to Switzerland. The broadcaster cited a foreign ministry spokesman in its report on Saturday.
Key mediator Pakistan said technical-level talks on the interim agreement between Iran and the US will begin on Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with the participation of Qatari mediators.
Israel and Hezbollah agree to new ceasefire after clashes delay US-Iran talks
Iran and the United States agreed on a 60-day period for the United States and Iran to sign a peace agreement.
In April, Witkoff and Kushner accompanied Vance to Pakistan to negotiate a ceasefire. These talks ultimately failed, but the dynamics this time are different.
These latest talks come after both sides signed a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah remains a threat that could derail these negotiations before they even begin. The US-Iran deal started on shaky ground, with Israeli attacks on Lebanon causing initial negotiations to stall.
Vice President Vance heads to Switzerland for Iran talks
Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters before heading to Switzerland for Iran talks that he understood the United States and the Islamic Republic would likely have “several days of talks.”
“I could only be there a day or two,” Vance said. “I think we will make progress on the nuclear issue, I think we will make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. These are two important issues that I think we need to focus on. I’m sure there will be issues that the Iranians will want to discuss as well.”
Responding to the conflict in Lebanon, the Vice President added, “Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit.”
“This is going to be something that we’re going to have to continually manage to make sure you know that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure,” Vance said. “That’s the whole point of this, to make the whole area safe and secure.”
Trump says there will be no tolls on the Strait of Hormuz during or after the ceasefire period
President Donald Trump said Saturday that there will be no tolls for the Strait of Hormuz during or after the ceasefire ends.
In his statement on Truth Social, he added that the only sanction would be “if the agreement is not completed for services provided as Guardian Angels to Middle Eastern countries for the purpose of reimbursement of both past, present and future costs, if the agreement is made by and for the United States.”
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli attacks and US ‘violation’
Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon, US “malicious intent” and “blatant violation of its commitments” by not ending the war.
In the statement made on state television, it was also warned that “if the attack continues, next steps are planned.”
Following the signing of the US-Iran interim agreement at the beginning of the week, ships began to pass through the strait.
Israel strikes Lebanon after agreeing to ceasefire with Hezbollah
On Saturday morning, Israel launched new attacks on the region despite signing an agreement. new ceasefire agreement With Hezbollah. Huge clouds of smoke were seen in Lebanon throughout the night, hours before the ceasefire began.
At least 16 people, including two children, died in Israeli attacks. Persistent conflict has threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
Israel announced that four of its soldiers were killed and many others were injured after Hezbollah launched rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles at the Israel Defense Forces.
Negotiators were scrambling to stop fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group after intense fighting on Friday left at least 47 people and four Israeli soldiers dead in Lebanon.
An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 rounds overnight at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, prompting the military to begin targeting the militant group there. The official spoke anonymously in accordance with the rules. The military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants in southern Lebanon, including rocket launch sites and Hezbollah command centers.
According to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA, Israeli warplanes and drones launched a series of attacks, destroying residential buildings.
Front lines with Robert Sherman: Strait of Hormuz tense and uncertain
In the last 48 hours, losses began to increase on both sides.
On Friday, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said in
On Saturday, Hezbollah said it was committed to a ceasefire but accused Israel of violating the ceasefire several times on Friday night. In the statement made by the military wing of the group, it was stated that the ceasefire would be respected but that it would also repel the attacks of Israeli soldiers.
Trump warned Israel
The White House is trying to keep things together and is publicly warning Israel to stop the attacks. In a wide-ranging interview with Axios, President Donald Trump was asked about the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“That’s good, but we have to keep him sane,” Trump said of Netanyahu.
Asked whether he could control Israel’s attack on Lebanon, Trump said, “I will. I mean, they respect me very much.”
According to The Washington Post, intelligence agencies have warned the White House that Netanyahu could take steps to undermine peace efforts with Iran and continue attempts to root out Hezbollah.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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