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The ink was barely dry on the US-Iran deal before Tehran tore it up. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again Friday, just days after President Trump and Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding in what was billed as a historic diplomatic breakthrough.
Nuclear talks scheduled for Friday in Switzerland were called off hours before the closure announcement, and Washington has offered no explanation for the postponement.
In a statement broadcast over maritime radio channels, the IRGC cited three conditions that it said the US had failed to meet: Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade on Iranian ports, and the removal of American military forces from the Persian Gulf region. "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met," the statement read, adding a direct warning to any vessel that defies the order. "Any vessel that defies this directive will be targeted."
The closure throws the recently signed MOU into serious doubt and scrambles what had appeared to be a rare diplomatic opening between Washington and Tehran. US Central Command had formally lifted its two-month blockade on Iranian ports just Thursday, a move framed as a good-faith gesture ahead of Friday's planned talks. What Iran meant in claiming the embargo removal was not "complete" was not immediately clear.
The decision appears to reflect a split within the Iranian regime itself. A source told the New York Post on Wednesday that hardliners had been aggressively pushing against attending the MOU signing unless Israel first pulled its forces from southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been engaged in ongoing operations against Hezbollah. That pressure appears to have prevailed over the negotiating camp.
Confusion on the water compounded the diplomatic chaos. Iranian activist Ilia Hashemi reported warning shots fired near the Strait and vessels receiving no radio response when asking whether passage was open. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority later announced that ships submitting compliant transit requests at least 48 hours in advance would be permitted through during an announced period, with no fees charged for 60 days.
Israel and Lebanon traded strikes overnight into Friday, with four Israeli soldiers killed Thursday and five more injured Friday in a drone attack, further complicating any path back to the negotiating table.
