Iran Reportedly Plans Strait of Hormuz Closure Amid Lebanon Conflict

Iran is again planning to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian consulate and reports from Iranian state-owned media on Saturday, throwing yet another wrench into President Donald Trump’s plans to sell his peace agreement with Tehran to a skeptical electorate.

Iran’s Consulate-General in India wrote on X Saturday that the closure will be partly “in response to the continuous violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon” and will come as the “first step as a response to the enemy’s breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken.” Iran did not provide a timeline for the planned closure.

The announcement from Iran’s joint military command as reported by state-owned news agency Mehr cited Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire deal. Israel did not sign the memorandum of understanding that paused hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, and Israel’s continued strikes in the region were cause for concern for Trump in the lead-up to his signing of the deal in Versailles, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

“Why are you blowing up buildings?” the outlet reported Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu out of fear that Israel’s strikes in Lebanon could imperil the nearing deal. “Stop blowing up buildings.” Trump also publicly rebuked Netanyahu during the G7 press conference that day, calling on the Israeli leader to use a “softer touch” in Lebanon.

Trump administration officials quickly cast doubt on the Saturday reports about Iran’s intent to close the strait. Vice President JD Vance said on Fox News he was “skeptical” of the claims, saying the administration was not seeing evidence that Iran had actually shut down maritime traffic.

Vance added that he may join special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for talks in Switzerland “as soon as tomorrow.”

It was not immediately clear Saturday whether Iran had formally declared the strait closed or whether shipping companies had altered operations in response to the latest escalation. Maritime traffic through the waterway appeared to continue, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command released shortly after Iran’s announcement.

In a statement Saturday morning, CENTCOM wrote, “Safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today as 55 merchant ships transited, moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets,” without acknowledging reports of a planned closure.

Trump proclaimed that the waterway, a critical trade route for some 20 percent of global oil transit, was open and operating toll-free shortly after he announced the MOU, ending the four-month-long conflict between the U.S. and Tehran, had been reached last week.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The president has consistently maintained that an end to the war is contingent on Iran reopening the strait and, prior to signing the MOU, threatened to continue “blasting Iran into oblivion” until it agreed to reopen the key waterway.

The reported intent to block off global access to the strait raises immediate questions about the durability of that agreement and whether Tehran is prepared to uphold one of its most consequential provisions. Trump has touted the accord as a breakthrough that would avoid a wider regional war while protecting global commerce through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

Any sustained disruption could have significant economic consequences. The narrow passage between Iran and Oman serves as the primary export route for major oil producers across the Persian Gulf, and previous threats to free passage through the strait earlier in the conflict have sent energy prices higher and rattled global markets.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait during periods of confrontation with the U.S. and its allies, viewing the waterway as one of its most potent sources of leverage. To some Democrats, that background meant Saturday’s announcement from Iran was less than unexpected.

“The continuing price of Trump’s incompetence,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) charged on X Saturday in response to reports that the strait will once again be closed. “Trump signed a ‘deal’ that was contingent on Israel ending it’s disastrous war in Lebanon and apparently he didn’t check that with Israel.”