TEHRAN, June 20 — Iran on Saturday announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon despite the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran.
According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, the decision was announced by the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which said the move was prompted by what it described as a failure to implement the first clause of the digitally signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ending hostilities.
Iran condemned Israel’s military actions in Lebanon, characterizing them as a “relentless and continuous violation of the ceasefire.”
“In view of the flagrant bad faith and breach of covenant by America regarding the failure to implement the first clause of the end-of-war agreement, and in reaction to the relentless and continuous violation of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon and the brutal massacre and displacement of hundreds of thousands of the oppressed people of this land, and also in light of the occupying Zionist forces’ refusal to withdraw from the lands of southern Lebanon, it declares that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to the passage of vessels,” the agency said in a post on X.
Iran described the measure as an initial response and warned that additional actions could follow if it believes the terms of the agreement continue to be violated.
“It is recalled that this step is the first response to the enemy’s breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, subsequent steps will be planned and taken to compel the enemy to fulfill its commitments,” the statement added.
The announcement came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said fresh strikes in Lebanon were conducted in response to what it described as repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah.
In a post on X, the Israeli Air Force said Hezbollah launched more than 50 attacks against Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon overnight.
“These constitute repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The IDF will not tolerate harm to Israeli civilians or its forces and will respond forcefully to any use of force against them,” the statement said.
The Israeli military said it targeted rocket launch sites, weapons storage facilities, and command centers belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The IDF said it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement while continuing operations aimed at eliminating threats to Israeli civilians and military personnel.
“In order to remove threats and in response to the blatant violations by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, the Air Force struck dozens of terrorist infrastructures and terrorists from the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon overnight,” the statement added.
Hezbollah, however, said it targeted Israeli forces attempting to advance in southern Lebanon and maintained that it had adhered to the ceasefire since Friday afternoon, according to The Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s Nabatieh district has risen to 16, including one Lebanese soldier. (ANI)
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