Live: Israel, Lebanon sign framework peace deal after US-mediated talks
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The US military on Saturday denied Iran's claims that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying the critical waterway remained open and that US forces were monitoring the situation to ensure that it continued.
"Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told Reuters. "Traffic continues to flow, and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case."
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz shut earlier on Saturday and warned ships not to approach the waterway, casting new doubt on the future of a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran meant to pave the way for in-depth peace talks.
An Iranian negotiating team left Iran for Switzerland on Saturday for discussions on the implementation of its agreement with the United States to halt the war, state media said.
The official news agency IRNA reported the delegation's departure, quoting foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei as saying they would "follow up and demand implementation of the other party's commitments" under the deal.
"The other side must take the necessary measures as soon as possible. Otherwise, the entire understanding will be in trouble," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have ordered the Israeli army to cease attacks on southern Lebanon, Channel 12 reported.
Israel will not withdraw from the occupied areas, the report said, adding that the decision was made in coordination with the US.
Israeli attacks since 2 March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121, mostly in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Iran announced that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, according to a military command statement carried by state media.
“It is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic,” the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters said in remarks carried by Iran’s Mehr state news agency.
“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 decision was later confirmed in a statement by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which warned vessels not to approach the strait or risk their security being compromised.
The IRGC cited Israeli attacks on Lebanon and US violations of the ceasefire agreement as reasons for the closure.
Read more: Iran recloses Strait of Hormuz after Israeli attacks on Lebanon
Hezbollah has accused Israel of bearing "full responsibility" for the violations of their ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, AFP reports.
In a statement, the group said such violations "represent clear aggression and a continuation of the war in every sense" due to their ongoing occupation of Lebanon, adding that Israel "has never adhered to ceasefire provisions", including the recent US-Iran deal and Friday's announcement.
This comes as the Lebanese health ministry said that Israel has killed over 4,000 people since attacks began on 2 March.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that technical-level talks between the US and Iran would be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday, following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said that US and Iranian representatives would participate alongside mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.
🔊PR No.1️⃣4️⃣8️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) June 20, 2026
Technical-Level Talks Under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding
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US Central Command (Centcom) announced on Saturday that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz “remained intact today”, with 55 merchant ships carrying cargo and oil to global markets transiting through.
“Commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz increased [on] June 20 as US forces continued operating in the general area to support freedom of navigation,” Centcom said in a statement on X.
The statement came after Iran announced that the strait would be closed over Israel's attacks on Lebanon, which Tehran said violated the ceasefire agreement.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 20, 2026
Lebanon's health ministry said on Saturday that Israeli attacks since 2 March have killed more than 4,000 people, including 135 health and emergency workers, and wounded 12,121 others.
The latest figures came after the final death toll from Israeli strikes on Friday rose to 83, with 141 wounded.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement on Saturday announcing that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed and warning vessels not to approach or risk their security being compromised.
The IRGC Navy cited Israel's actions in Lebanon, which it said violated ceasefire commitments, as the reason for the closure.
An Iranian delegation will travel to Switzerland to demand that the US fulfils its commitments, particularly its obligation to ensure Israel stops attacking Lebanon, Iran's Fars News Agency reported, citing a foreign ministry spokesperson.
The spokesperson warned that if the US failed to honour its commitments, the broader agreement would be "in trouble", adding that Iran's approach to implementing the deal was based on balancing "commitment for commitment".
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei later told Mehr News Agency that the delegation would leave for Switzerland in a few minutes.
US Vice President JD Vance rejected claims that Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz during an interview with Fox News on Saturday.
His comments came after Iran's top military command said the strategic waterway had been closed to vessel traffic following what it described as Israel's violation of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
Iran’s top joint military command said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to vessel traffic again, citing Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon as a violation of Iran’s agreement with the US.
“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 Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement carried by Iran’s Mehr News Agency.
US Vice President JD Vance said that he expects to travel to Switzerland for talks with Iran soon after the initial meetings scheduled for Friday were postponed.
He said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, are in already Switzerland for negotiations.
“I expect that I will leave sometime in the next couple of days, but you know it’s always a delicate coordination dance and the diplomatic protocols,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday.
Vance added that the talks are going well and that he is confident a ceasefire can be maintained, so he intends to “give negotiations a chance”.
At least 29 people have been killed in a new wave of Israeli attacks on Lebanon across southern Lebanon and the eastern Beqaa Valley, just a day after a ceasefire was announced.
Lebanon’s civil defence agency said a series of Israeli attacks on the Nabatieh district in the country’s south on Saturday killed 16 people and wounded 12 others.
The agency said its personnel had been working since dawn to respond to the ongoing attacks.
An Israeli strike on the village of Barish in Tyre, a coastal city known as Sour in Arabic, killed four members of the same family, which Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) described as a "massacre".
The NNA also reported that at least seven people were killed and 13 were injured in an Israeli attack on a village near the southern city of Sidon.
Another person was killed in the municipality of Shahour in the Tyre district, and one person was killed in the town of Sohmor, the western Bekaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon.
In a statement published on X, the Lebanese army said one of its officers had been killed in an Israeli air strike on the Kfar Rumman-Nabatieh road.
Read more: Israel kills at least 29 in Lebanon, one day after ceasefire deal
Switzerland continues to provide a "discreet and reliable setting" at Burgenstock to facilitate discussions on implementing a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Saturday.
It added in a statement that no further details would be disclosed about participants and the content of the talks, citing confidentiality.
