Over the weekend, the United States and Iran once again offered conflicting statements regarding passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning, stating that if a final agreement with Iran is not reached within 60 days, the United States will impose transit tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.
The remarks from Trump came as officials from both Iran and the United States disputed over the passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday evening Beijing time, the Iranian military suddenly announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement issued the same day, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces said that in light of the United States openly breaking its promises and failing to fulfill the first clause of the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war; and given Israel’s continued violation of the ceasefire agreement, repeated attacks on southern Lebanon, causing numerous civilian deaths and hundreds of thousands of displacements; and the Israeli military’s failure to withdraw from southern Lebanon, it was now declared that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to the navigation of all vessels. Subsequently, the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that all types of vessels should not approach the Strait of Hormuz, otherwise their safety could not be guaranteed. However, the United States denied this claim. U.S. Vice President Vance said there was currently no evidence that Iran was closing the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly afterward, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying that as U.S. forces continued operations in the waters around the Strait of Hormuz to support freedom of navigation, the number of commercial vessels transiting the strait had increased. The U.S. Central Command stated that the safe passage condition of the Strait of Hormuz remained intact, with a total of 55 commercial vessels passing through on Saturday. The U.S. Central Command stated that its forces would continue to maintain presence and a high state of alert in the region to ensure that all terms of the agreement with Iran were adhered to, implemented, and remained fully effective. Additionally, senior U.S. officials said on the 20th local time that the U.S. military had not yet observed any military movements by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. Technical-Level Talks to Be Held Today Currently, representatives of both Iran and the United States are scheduled to hold the first round of technical-level talks in Switzerland on Sunday (the 21st). The U.S. delegation includes Vice President Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The two sides had originally planned to meet in Geneva on Friday (the 19th), with Pakistan’s mediation to launch a 60-day negotiation aimed at reaching a final agreement. However, the Lebanon issue affected the negotiation process, leading to the postponement of the talks originally scheduled for the 19th. On the 18th, reports indicated that the Iranian delegation had suspended its trip to Switzerland for talks with the United States due to Israel’s continued attacks on southern Lebanon. On the 20th, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement confirming that the U.S.-Iran technical-level talks would be held in Switzerland on the 21st. Pakistan and Qatar will participate in the meeting as mediators. The latest reports show that the Iranian negotiation delegation has arrived in Zurich, Switzerland.The Swiss Foreign Ministry has also confirmed that the Iranian delegation has arrived. In a statement on social media, the Swiss Foreign Ministry welcomed the Iranian delegation to Switzerland, noting that the delegation is now on its way to Bürgenstock, as part of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran.
On June 20, local time, a spokesperson for the U.S. Vice President stated that Vice President Vance had departed from Washington and was en route to Switzerland to attend the US-Iran negotiations. According to Pakistani sources on June 21, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has led a high-level delegation and departed for Switzerland. On June 20, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei stated that the Iranian delegation would travel to Switzerland to present its demands regarding the United States’ fulfillment of its commitments, and to clarify how the Iranian side would fulfill its own commitments. Baghaei added that the U.S. side must take necessary measures as soon as possible; otherwise, the entire memorandum of understanding would face the risk of collapse.
