By Humeyra Pamuk, Jana Choukeir, Ahmed Tolba and Steve Holland

ZURICH/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - Negotiators from the United States and Iran were set to start peace talks in Switzerland on Sunday, even as U.S. officials disputed Iranian claims about closing the key Strait of Hormuz.

A high-level Iranian team arrived in Switzerland for peace talks with the U.S., Iranian state media reported, as U.S. Vice President JD Vance departed Washington for meetings that Pakistan said will begin on Sunday.

Omar Marmoush once rejected the chance to play for Canada, but in Vancouver on Sunday will aim to become a national hero back home in Egypt by making World Cup history.

The Pharaohs are powerhouses of African football with a record seven continental titles but are yet to win a match in eight games at the World Cup.

A meeting with New Zealand, ranked 56 places below Egypt in the FIFA rankings, offers a golden chance for an elusive World Cup victory and with it progress beyond the group stages for the first time.

By Nick Said

HOUSTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The United States will continue to assess the Iran squad's travel arrangements at the World Cup but for now the original plan remains in place despitethe team saying they would lodge a complaint with FIFA, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, told Reuters on Saturday.

June 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Saturday that no toll will be charged for passage through the Strait of Hormuz during or after the 60-day interim ceasefire with Iran — unless the U.S. imposes one should peace talks fail.

By Laila Bassam, Jana Choukeir and Emily Rose

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, June 20 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 20 people on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency NNA said, one day after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, aimed at halting months of escalating violence.

Israel said the strikes were a response to projectiles fired overnight by the Iran-backed group. An Israeli military official said Hezbollah launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, prompting attacks on what the official described as "Hezbollah targets".

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO, June 20 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least ninepeople, including a child, in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, health officials said.

An Israeli airstrike killed four Palestinians, including two women and a child, in an apartment building in Gaza City, health officials said. The attack on the building in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City destroyed the apartment and wounded several other people, medics added.

The Israeli military said it struck a militant, without elaborating.

By Humeyra Pamuk, Jana Choukeir, Ahmed Tolba and Steve Holland

ZURICH/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - A high-level Iranian team departed for Switzerland on Saturday for talks with the United States, Iranian state media reported, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance indicated he would set off soon for meetings that Pakistan said will begin on Sunday.

The Iranian delegation was led by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as well as senior security, central bank and oil officials, Iranian media said.

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Saturday denied Iran's claims that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying the critical waterway remained open and that U.S. forces were monitoring the situation to ensure that continued.

"Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz," U.S. Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told Reuters. "Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case."

PARIS, June 20 (Reuters) - Protestors against political executions in Iran gathered in Paris on Saturday in defiance of a ban on the rally, at which police arrested 20 people, according to organisers.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Place Vauban near the Les Invalides monument in central Paris, but were dispersed by police, Shahin Gobadi from the Paris-based NCRI said.

Paris police could not immediately be reached for comment.

June 20 (Reuters) - Iran's top joint military command, ​Khatam al-Anbiya Central ‌Headquarters, said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to vessel traffic, citing alleged violations of a ceasefire agreement by the U.S. and Israel, Iran's Mehr state news agency reported.

It said that the closure was the "first step" in response to what it described as breaches of commitments and warned that further measures would be taken if "aggression" continued.

(Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Ahmed Tolba, and Enas Alashray, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)