US-Iran talks set as Hormuz closure claim disputed

Iran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, raising tensions hours before planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland, but the US military disputed Tehran’s claim and said commercial shipping was still moving through the vital energy route.

The planned negotiations, postponed from Friday, are due to begin Sunday in Switzerland, Pakistan said. US Vice President JD Vance left Washington on Saturday for the talks, while Iran’s state broadcaster reported that Tehran’s negotiating team had arrived in Zurich. Iran’s delegation includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials, Al Jazeera reported.

The meeting is expected to open technical-level talks toward a final US-Iran agreement after the two sides signed an initial memorandum of understanding earlier in the week. The document calls for an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” and says a final deal should be reached within 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.

Iran says continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon violate that agreement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran would be “demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments.” In comments broadcast by Iran’s IRIB, he said Tehran “must naturally be very firm and serious in demanding fulfilment of obligations,” citing what he called past US failures to honor commitments.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Saturday it was reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli “crimes” in Lebanon and alleged US violations of ceasefire commitments. It warned ship crews not to approach the waterway, saying their security would be at risk. Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned that energy flows in the Middle East would halt as long as the US-Iran agreement “remains only on paper,” according to Al Jazeera.

US Central Command rejected Iran’s assertion. Spokesman Tim Hawkins said “traffic continues to flow,” with US forces “monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case,” adding: “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.” CENTCOM said 55 merchant ships transited the strait Saturday and that safe passage remained “intact.” Tracking data monitored by BBC Verify suggested at least five tankers passed through the strait Saturday, while several vessels appeared to make U-turns in the area.

The Strait of Hormuz carries about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil and oil products passed through it each day, according to US Energy Information Administration estimates cited by the BBC — nearly $600 billion in energy trade per year.

President Donald Trump posted on social media Saturday that the United States could impose its own tolls on shipping in the strait if Washington and Tehran do not reach a negotiated deal. Al Jazeera reported that Trump also said the strait would remain free of Iranian tolls during and after the 60-day negotiation period.

The diplomacy comes amid renewed violence in Lebanon. The BBC reported that at least 20 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon less than 24 hours after a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced. Al Jazeera, citing Lebanon’s civil defence and state media, reported that Israeli attacks killed at least 32 people Saturday, after Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Friday’s strikes killed 83 people and wounded 141.

Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. The Israeli military said Saturday it struck “dozens” of Hezbollah targets after the Iran-backed group fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in the region. Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli strike killed a family of four in Barich. Israel’s military also said one Israeli soldier was killed in battle in southern Lebanon.

Vance told reporters he hoped to make progress “on the nuclear issue” and on the “Lebanon ceasefire issue.” Asked about the clashes, he said, “Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to attend the start of the talks, his office told the BBC. Al Jazeera reported that Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Qatari mediators are also expected to join the talks at the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock.