Iran’s Kahatam al‑Anbiya Central Headquarters announced that it had officially closed the Strait of Hormuz for all maritime traffic, citing what it described as an explicit breach of the first clause of a recent post‑war 14‑point memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the United States and continuous violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon by the "Zionist regime." The closure was presented as a response to U.S. and Israeli actions that Iran said undermined the agreement reached earlier in the week to end hostilities and reopen the channel.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) denied Iran’s claim, stating that traffic continued to flow through the strait. CENTCOM reported that on June 20, a total of 55 commercial ships and 17 million barrels of oil transited the crossing, indicating that the waterway remained operational despite Iran’s announcement.
The announcement came shortly after Iran objected to Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon, which Lebanese state media said killed at least five people just hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. Iran has repeatedly demanded that Hezbollah and Lebanon be included in any comprehensive ceasefire deal, a demand that Israel rejected. In protest, Iran declined to send a delegation to Switzerland for talks with the United States, calling for more concrete U.S. commitment to the MoU.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Washington bears responsibility for ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, in line with the terms of the agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that failure to reach a deal could lead to actions that "won’t make them happy," while U.S. intelligence assessed it unlikely that Israel would halt its operations in Lebanon.
The 14‑point MoU, signed earlier in the week, outlines a 60‑day period of talks on Iran’s nuclear program and reaffirms Iran’s stance that it will not develop a nuclear weapon. Trump also announced on social media that no toll would be charged for passage through Hormuz during or after the ongoing negotiations.
Commercial ship traffic showed improvement as of June 20, with CENTCOM confirming the transit figures mentioned above. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Saturday that he expects to travel to Switzerland within the next couple of days for talks with Iran and described the negotiations as "going well," adding that they could take place as early as Sunday.
Diplomatic efforts continued, with reports that additional talks could be held in Egypt on June 21. Mediators from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are slated to discuss steps aimed at preserving the ceasefire framework and advancing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.