Vance plans Switzerland trip for Iran talks as tensions flare over Lebanon and Hormuz

US Vice-President JD Vance said on Saturday that he expected to travel to Switzerland in the coming days for talks with Iranian officials over the signed interim agreement to end the US-Israel war with Iran, as Tehran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again over what it sees as violations by the US and Israel of the agreement.

Vance confirmed his travel plans to Fox News on Saturday after he had to cancel his original trip to Switzerland on Thursday. However, US Central Command disputed the claim that the Strait was fully closed. Vance described talks as a "delicate coordination dance" as tensions flared again in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

The negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, will include Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, who serve as special envoys to US President Donald Trump. Kushner and Witkoff are already in Switzerland ready to negotiate, Vance told Fox News.

The US negotiators are working on details related to Iran's nuclear program, according to the Associated Press.

Pakistan, a key mediator, said that "technical talks" between Washington and Tehran would begin Sunday in Switzerland. Qatari officials are also expected to attend.

But the latest round of negotiations between the US and Iran came as confusion flared Saturday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that they had closed the Strait of Hormuz due to the US and Israel committing a "clear breach" of the memorandum of understanding that was signed on June 17, to end the war.

And Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command disputed the claim, writing in a statement: "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic continues to flow and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case."

Part of the US-Iran deal stated that there must be an end to all hostilities, including those in Lebanon.

Iran's military blamed the US for violating its commitments to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Strikes by Israel in Southern Lebanon early Saturday killed 16 people, including two children, the AP reports. It came after a ceasefire deal had been struck there Friday.

The Israeli bombardments hit the southern city of Nabatiyeh and villages in the area leaving several people trapped under rubble, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 4,000 have been killed in the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. On Friday, 47 were killed and 97 were wounded.

The Israeli military said that four Israeli soldiers died in an incident in Lebanon, Reuters reports.

The new round of violence will have an immediate impact on the planned talks between Lebanon's government and Israel scheduled in Washington next week, said analysts.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials said that its negotiators had originally planned their trip to Switzerland for June 19, according to the AP, but were on their way Saturday morning.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei said that Iran wanted to see the US follow the terms of the agreement.

"This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations," he told the AP, if not "then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized."

Iran's joint military command described Israel's actions as a "clear breach of its commitments" and "bad faith".

It warned in a statement read on Iranian State TV that if the "aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned".

Ships had only just begun going back through the all-important waterway after the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed.

US Central Command said that at least 55 commercial ships went through the Strait, Saturday, before its closure.

That ranked as the largest number of ships through the Strait since Iran effectively closed it during the war. Yet it was far below the 130 that used to travel through it per day, maritime data shows.

The US-Israel war with Iran has killed at least 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, Reuters reported.