US forces monitoring Strait of Hormuz to ensure it stays open; Iran says it is closed

The US military has denied Iran’s ​claims it had closed ‌the Strait of Hormuz, saying the critical waterway remained open ​and US forces ​were monitoring the situation to ensure ⁠that it continued. The US claimed 55 merchant ships transited the Strait on Saturday with more than 17 million barrels of oil for global markets. US Vice President JD Vance said the flow of oil through the strait had returned to pre-war levels, despite there being conflicting reports of whether tankers were being allowed free passage on Friday. Vance said: “We got 16 million barrels out of the Strait of Hormuz in just the last 24 hours and that is “basically where it was before the war even started and suggests that the straits really are open.” US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told Reuters, “Iran does not ​control the Strait of Hormuz” and “traffic continues to ​flow”. US Vice President JD Vance has travelled to Switzerland for talks with Iran aimed at shoring up the ceasefire agreement and earlier told Fox News he is “confident the ceasefire would hold”. The US negotiating team includes envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had already been in Switzerland “for a few hours, dealing with some of the technical elements of this negotiation”. Iranian media said Tehran’s delegation is led by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as well as senior security, ‌central bank and oil officials. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran would press in Switzerland for fulfilment of commitments, citing past failures by the other side to honour agreements. He said: “Negotiations for a final agreement will begin only when the commitments set out in paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 [of the MoU] have started to be implemented and continue to be carried out.” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said technical-level talks between Iran and the ⁠US ​will be ⁠held in Bürgenstock, ⁠Switzerland on Sunday and Pakistan will continue ‌⁠in its role ⁠as mediator. Iran stands firm on its claim the Strait of Hormuz is closed According to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to to vessels, pointing to Israeli “crimes” in Lebanon that violated the US ceasefire agreement. At least 16 people were killed by Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon, which targeted the Nabatieh district “mere hours” after the agreement came into effect. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have now been instructed to “hold its fire” in Lebanon by Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Channel 12 news, following “co-ordination between the political echelon and the United States”. The US-Iran memorandum of understanding (peace agreement) was signed by Donald Trump on the 18 June; it noted US, Iran and allies would declare an “immediate and permanent” termination of military operations on “all fronts” – including Lebanon. Iranian state media has reported Tehran’s military command had warned the Strait of Hormuz closure is the “first step” in response to the “ceasefire violation” and further action would be taken if “aggression” continued to “force the enemy to comply with its obligations”. The aftermath of an Israeli air strike in Qennarit, southern Lebanon, on Saturday. Iran has repeatedly declared that any peace deal involve an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon (Photo: Reuters)