US Vice President JD Vance led talks at a Swiss resort on Sunday to shore up a tentative peace deal with Iran, but the diplomacy was clouded by Iran’s announcement it had closed the Strait of Hormuz over Washington’s failure to halt fighting in Lebanon.A memorandum of understanding on a path to end the war, agreed a week ago, calls for the Strait to be reopened and a halt to all hostilities, including in Lebanon, which Washington’s ally Israel invaded in March.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But with little sign of an end to fighting there, Iran said on Saturday it had shut the waterway again.
Flags of Switzerland, United States, Qatar, Pakistan and local Swiss canton of Nidwalden are photographed at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026, ahead of high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict. (AFP)
US officials have disputed the Strait is closed and said 55 merchant ships crossed it on Saturday. Yet on Sunday Iran’s Fars news agency cited a military source as saying no new permits were being issued for ships to cross until further notice.Vessel tracking data showing ships actively transmitting positions broadly backs Iran’s claim the Strait is closed, with no tanker crossings recorded since Tehran announced the move on Saturday afternoon.Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, reported that the Strait would not be reopened until a ceasefire in Lebanon was respected.The source said the waterway would also remain closed until waivers allowing the sale of Iranian oil were issued.
