WASHINGTON — Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is flowing — under Iran’s monitoring — after a radio message to vessels in the region suggested the waterway had been closed over tensions with Israel and the US.
“The armed forces of Iran, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding [MOU] to end the war dated June 18, 2026, have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and shipping in this route is currently underway,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Friday, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.
Earlier, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps statement read over maritime radio channels warned vessels from entering the strait because the US was in violation of the MOU between Washington and Tehran, which President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed Wednesday.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz on the morning of June 19, 2026. MarineTraffic
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran on June 18,
2026. Iranian Presidency via ZUMA Press / SplashNews.com
“Since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are among the main conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met,” it said. “All ships are requested, for the sake of their security and safety, not to approach the Strait of Hormuz. Any vessel that defies this directive will be targeted.”
The MOU declared Iran would open the strait — which has been closed since the war began on Feb. 28 — in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on Iranian ports.
US Central Command said Thursday it had formally lifted its two-month blockade on Iranian ports.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announcement came after a US official said Israel and Hezbollah had reached a new cease-fire agreement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to speak with Israeli and Lebanese officials at some point Friday, a source familiar with the matter told The Post.
The new cease-fire — negotiated by the US and Qatar — came just a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Jewish state’s forces would continue hunting terrorists in Lebanon despite the US-Iran MOU.
“We will restore security and prosperity to northern towns,” Netanyahu said. “That requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon.”
Commercial vessels and oil tankers preparing to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Anadolu via Getty Images
The Israel Defense Forces had also published a new map showing an expanded zone of occupation, deploying troops more than 6 miles across the Lebanese border, including north of the Litani River.
The MOU signed Wednesday promised the US and Iran, “along with their allies,” would respect Lebanon’s territory and sovereignty and end all hostilities there.
Simcha Brodsky, president of the open source intelligence organization OSINT613, said the IRGC radio broadcast represented Iran taking advantage of the way the MOU was designed and the time it takes for the US to lift a blockade.
A number of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. REUTERS
“What we’re seeing is a direct result of the wording in the US-Iran MoU. The deal lifts the US blockade in phases (‘fully within 30 days’), so the US is mid-process by design,” he said. “Iran is using that gap: It says the strait stays closed until the blockade is ‘completely lifted,’ so it can claim the lift isn’t done and call this a re-closure.”
“Iran has now bolted the Israel-Lebanon fighting onto that pretext to hard-stop the whole deal, roping Israel into an agreement it never approved or negotiated.”
The news came hours after the first round of US-Iran nuclear talks achieved through the MOU and scheduled for Friday were called off.
Vessels in the Strait of Horrmuz. REUTERS
The US has not given a reason for the postponement.
A regional source claimed Wednesday some hardliners in the Iranian regime were arguing against attending a since-canceled MOU signing ceremony set for Friday until Israel removed its troops from southern Lebanon.
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Meanwhile, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) — which Tehran recently formed so it could control the strait and, critics say, charge fees — released a set of new “terms and conditions” for ships passing through the vital waterway.
While the MOU requires Iran to hold off demanding payment from shipping firms for the next 60 days, the document explicitly states Tehran “reserves the right to introduce” new fees in the future.
The document also requires all ships to get a permit from the PGSA to pass through the strait, which was not required before the war began Feb. 28, as the strait is considered international waters.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.