Iran Re-closes Strait of Hormuz After Israeli Strikes on Lebanon

Iran's top joint military command and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz was being re-closed to vessel traffic, citing Israel's continued strikes on southern Lebanon as a violation of a ceasefire agreement Iran had reached with the United States. The IRGC warned vessels not to approach the waterway or risk their security being compromised. Iran also announced it was sending a delegation to Switzerland to demand the US fulfill its commitments, particularly ensuring Israel halts attacks on Lebanon. This development came just one day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced — a deal that appears to be fracturing rapidly, with Lebanese health authorities reporting over 4,000 deaths since March 2.

US Vice President JD Vance pushed back publicly, denying in a Fox News interview that Iran had actually closed the strait. US Central Command appeared to support that position, reporting that 55 merchant ships carrying cargo and oil had safely transited Hormuz on Saturday, with safe passage described as "intact." Vance also said he expected to travel to Switzerland within days for resumed nuclear talks with Iran, which had been postponed from Friday. Brazilian fertilizer market data underscored the economic stakes: nitrogen fertilizer prices had already dropped sharply from wartime highs as traders anticipated the conflict's resolution, but the re-escalation now clouds that outlook.

The episode reflects the extreme fragility of the US-brokered arrangement. Israel says it struck Lebanon in response to continued Hezbollah rocket fire after the ceasefire took effect, framing its actions as defensive. Iran, by contrast, treats those strikes as American bad faith, giving it grounds to reimpose the Hormuz closure it had previously lifted as part of the deal. With an Iranian delegation heading to Switzerland and Vance expected to follow, the next 48–72 hours of diplomacy will be critical to whether the strait remains commercially navigable and whether the ceasefire can be salvaged.

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