As sure as night follows day, you had to know that Iran would announce that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again.
And they did, citing the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.
BREAKING: Iran’s joint military command says that the Strait of Hormuz is closed again and cites Israeli attacks in Lebanon. https://t.co/VN4lCm4h9n
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 20, 2026
The IRGC has notified ships by radio that they do not have permission to pass.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz Saturday, putting a delicate agreement with the US, which hinged on the immediate reopening of the vital waterway, in peril.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the sudden close of the strait was a result of renewed fighting in Lebanon despite a cease-fire between Israel and the terror group Hezbollah.
“It is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic; It is noted that this first step is a response to the enemy’s breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations,” the IRGC’s military headquarters warned in a statement on state TV.
Israeli airstrikes against what it said were Hezbollah targets in Lebanon killed at least 16 people Saturday, just hours after a new truce went into effect, according to Lebanese Civil Defense.
Many ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz near Khasab, Oman, with mountains in the background.
There were 25 commercial ships that made it through the strait Thursday, a record since April but well below a pre-war average of 120, according to AXS Marine data.
Traffic was also reportedly flowing early Friday, prior to the skirmishes breaking out in Lebanon.
The IRGC told mariners later Friday not to enter the Strait of Hormuz because the US was in violation of the memorandum of understanding that had been finalized Wednesday between President Trump and Iranian Preisdent Masoud Pezeshkian.
What, exactly, does a closing of the Strait mean in this context is something a lot of people don’t seem to understand. It doesn’t mean that Iran has sent naval vessels to interdict ships, as the (former) US blockade did. It means that Iran is putting every ship that tries to transit at risk, making insurance more expensive or impossible to get, and slowing actual transits to a trickle.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces has issued a warning to all vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, stating that the Strait is currently closed due to “U.S. breaches of the war-ending deal and ongoing Israeli ceasefire… pic.twitter.com/k84R2CmGxY
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 20, 2026
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces has issued a warning to all vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, stating that the Strait is currently closed due to “U.S. breaches of the war-ending deal and ongoing Israeli ceasefire violations/non-withdrawal in Lebanon,” similar to yesterday’s statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N). In the last day, roughly twenty vessels have transited the Hormuz Strait, most following routes near Oman, with so far no attacks by Iran.
And, one assumes, it stops mine clearance, and Iran will claim it resets the clock on the MOU, as money flows in from the US blockade and sanctions on banking being lifted. Iran gains time, jerks the US around, pressures us to pressure Israel, driving a deeper wedge between us, and Iran diverts more money to Hezbollah to keep the entire project going.
Vice President Vance is still upbeat, insisting that it’s all good.
The MOU between Washing and Tehran stipulated that Iran would open the strait — which has been closed since the war broke out on Feb. 28 — in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance told Fox & Friends Saturday morning that there was no evidence the strait was closed.
“We actually got 16 million barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, that is a record,” he said. “So you’re seeing those ships move.”
Vance also confirmed that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner were “on the ground” in Switzerland for technical talks as part of the next steps in the recently finalized memorandum of understanding between the Trump administration and the Iranian regime.
Witkoff and Kushner are expected to join Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Geneva.
Vance said talks with Tehran could resume “as soon as tomorrow,” but added that “these things are always a little bit in flux.”
“The United States has all the cards,” he said.
After scrubbing a trip to Switzerland Thursday night, Vance said he planned to travel to Geneva “sometime in the next couple of days” for talks, but cited the “delicate coordination dance and the diplomatic protocols.”
I’m pretty sure the United States doesn’t have “all the cards.”
Iran certainly doesn’t think so. Expect far more pressure on Israel to sit back and take strikes from Hezbollah.
BREAKING: President Trump praises Israel and Netanyahu.
“We’ve fought very well with Israel, a great relationship with Israel. Netanyahu is a warrior, and they should give him credit.” pic.twitter.com/oqqPPMHFk0
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) June 19, 2026
On a more positive note, President Trump has been conciliatory toward Bibi Netanyahu in public. Mostly. On the one hand, he praised Bibi as a good ally, but on the other hand, he shared an article that says that he “holds all the cards” when it comes to Bibi’s reelection, which isn’t exactly a veiled threat, but an open one.
Trump is holding a lot of cards from a lot of decks right now. Let’s hope he plays them well.
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