Washington: Iran on Saturday dealt a major setback to its interim agreement with the United States by announcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and warning that ongoing negotiations could fail unless Washington honours its commitments under the deal.
The announcement came amid growing anger in Tehran over continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Iran’s Joint Military Command said the strategic Strait of Hormuz had been closed, blaming Israel’s attacks and what it described as American “bad faith” in implementing the agreement.
In a statement broadcast on state television, Iranian military officials said the United States had failed to fulfil its promises to help end the conflict, calling it a clear violation of previous commitments. They also warned that further action had already been planned if attacks continued.
Shortly after the announcement, Iranian state media reported that the country’s negotiating team was departing for Switzerland for fresh talks. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei indicated that expectations for any major breakthrough remained low.
Baghaei said Iran would not move towards a final agreement until it was convinced that the United States was implementing the terms of the interim deal. He stressed that the purpose of the latest diplomatic engagement was to ensure that Washington fulfilled its obligations.
He warned that if key commitments were not honoured, the entire Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) could be jeopardised.
The developments came after Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon reportedly killed at least 16 people, including two children, just hours after reports of a ceasefire arrangement emerged. Lebanon’s National News Agency said several people were still trapped under rubble following attacks on the southern city of Nabatieh and nearby villages.
