Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again as US and Iranian Officials Begin Switzerland Talks
Iran Recloses Strait of Hormuz Amid Lebanon Truce Violations
Iran cited a US breach of contract and Israeli violations of the Lebanon ceasefire as reasons to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic. [4] The waterway serves as a key conduit for global oil and gas shipments that had begun to recover under a preliminary accord. [4] Iran’s central military command stated that the strait will be closed to vessel traffic due to the Zionist regime’s continuous and relentless violation of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon. [4] The strait must be cleared of 80 mines before normal shipping can resume, according to the independent tanker owner trade body Intertanko. [2] The main route through the middle of the strait remains closed and dangerous, forcing vessels onto a southern route close to rocks. [2] US Central Command said after Iran’s announcement that safe passage through the international waterway had remained intact and that US forces were present and vigilant. [4]
US-Iran Talks Resume in Switzerland After Delay
US Vice President JD Vance traveled to Switzerland for the talks, aiming to make progress on Iran’s nuclear program and the Lebanon ceasefire. [4] The Iranian delegation includes parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. [4] Follow-up talks had been planned in Switzerland on Friday but were postponed at the last minute after Israel launched deadly strikes in Lebanon. [4] Vance told reporters he hoped to make progress on the nuclear issue and the Lebanon ceasefire issue, the two big things that negotiators would focus on. [4] Mediator Pakistan said technical-level talks were scheduled for Sunday in Burgenstock, Switzerland, with Pakistani and Qatari mediators joining US and Iranian representatives. [4] The talks are meant to open a two-month negotiation period on issues left unresolved by the initial accord, notably Iran’s nuclear programme. [4] Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the delegation would demand implementation of the other party’s commitments under the deal, otherwise the entire understanding will be in trouble. [4]
Clashes Persist in Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire Efforts
Fighting continued in southern Lebanon with both Israel and Hezbollah accusing each other of breaking the truce, resulting in additional deaths and over 4,000 total fatalities in the conflict. [4] The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in combat, the fifth such fatality since the US-Iran deal was reached. [4] An Israeli army official later said the military had received orders from the country’s political leadership to cease fire, adding that troops were not conducting proactive strikes but operating defensively inside a security zone. [4] Earlier, an Israeli military official said fresh attacks were underway after Hezbollah launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. [4] Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out an infiltration attempt towards the Ali Taher hills and said its fighters had responded with appropriate weapons. [4] Lebanese state media reported Israeli air raids on around 20 locations, with authorities counting more than 30 dead. [4] The overall death toll from the fighting in Lebanon had surpassed 4,000, the health ministry said. [4] Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said his group retained the full right to confront this enemy when it attacks us. [4]
Zelensky Accuses Belarus of Direct Support for Russian War Effort
Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that Ukraine knows every Belarusian factory supplying components for Russian weapons, armored vehicles, rocket systems and fuel. [1] Zelensky emphasized that every enterprise which supplies components for Russian weapons for armored vehicles, for rocket systems, and also the enterprise which supplies Russia with fuel for the war, all of that draws Belarus into the war. [1] Special repeaters along the Belarus-Ukraine border enable Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian regions including energy and rail infrastructure. [1] Repeaters installed in the border areas of Gomel and Brest allow Russian forces to carry out drone attacks on Zhytomyr, Rivne and Volyn regions, on the energy sector, on railways, on ordinary cities and on villages. [1] Zelensky said Belarus has time to dismantle this equipment and warned that such activities additionally involve Belarus in the conflict. [1] He stressed that this war must be ended and that peace is needed. [1]
Zourabichvili Warns Georgia Serves as Russian Hybrid Warfare Test Case
Georgia’s former president Salome Zourabichvili accused the Georgian Dream party of weakening democracy and turning the country into a testing ground for Russian hybrid warfare that uses political influence instead of tanks. [3] Zourabichvili said Russia is testing a new strategy in Georgia and this time does not need tanks as long as it has a government that follows Kremlin interests. [3] She criticized the ruling party Georgian Dream and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili for weakening the country’s democracy. [3] Protests have continued in Tbilisi for more than 570 days after the halt in EU negotiations. [3] Zourabichvili warned that Georgia risks becoming a gray zone for sanctions evasion and crime. [3] She said the country has gradually become a gray zone where all kinds of illegal trade can take place and there is more and more circumvention of sanctions in all directions, whether Russia or Iran. [3] The former president noted that when there is no strong state with strong institutions, these situations arise and it is very bad for the stability of the country. [3]
Trump Comments on Potential Hormuz Tolls
President Trump announced that there would be no tolls on the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day negotiation period. [2] There would also be no tolls afterward unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs. [2] Shipping companies have expressed concern over the possibility of tolling the strait, with a spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd stating that it is fundamentally wrong to charge vessels for passage through international waters. [2]
What to watch next: Negotiators will focus on implementation of commitments under the preliminary accord, with Vance able to stay only a day or two in Switzerland while technical-level talks proceed with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.
