Iran has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and accused the United States of failing to comply with the accord.
Iran’s government news agency IRIB reported on Saturday, 20 Jun 2026 GMT+7, that Iran’s military command has declared it will close the Strait of Hormuz because Israel “continues to proceed” with violating the ceasefire in Lebanon, and the U.S. “has failed to fulfill” the first condition of the initial agreement to end the war.
The “Khatam al-Anbiya” Central Command, Iran’s highest joint military command, stated in a report by IRIB television that
“Due to the United States’ lack of sincerity and clear breach of obligations, failing to meet the first condition of the memorandum of understanding to end the war, as well as in response to the continuous violations of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon... the command hereby declares that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to all vessel passage.”
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war last week, with the first of 14 conditions requiring an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Following the signing, oil prices, which had surged after the outbreak of war on 28 Feb, began to decline again. However, efforts to advance the agreement stalled due to Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that the Strait of Hormuz remains fully operational despite Iran’s contrary statements.
“We have seen no evidence that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz,” Vance said, adding, “Just yesterday we transported 16 million barrels of oil through the Strait, so you can see that shipping traffic continues as usual.”
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Source:cnn