Iran faces no issue securing essential goods, lawmaker says

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is having an “enormous impact” on the Indo-Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday.

Speaking in Canberra after talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Takaichi said Japan and Australia would respond urgently to secure stable energy supplies.

“We affirmed that Japan and Australia will closely communicate with each other in responding with a sense of urgency,” she said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone on Monday to discuss the regional situation and ongoing diplomatic efforts, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.

“Foreign Minister Araghchi appreciated Pakistan for the constructive role and sincere mediation efforts between the parties,” the ministry said in a statement.

The maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains critical due to ongoing regional military operations, UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Monday.

UKMTO, speaking on behalf of the Joint Maritime Information Center, advised mariners to coordinate with Omani authorities via VHF channel 16.

It said vessels should consider routing through Oman’s territorial waters south of the traffic separation scheme, where the United States has established an enhanced security area.

"Mariners should expect increased naval presence, enhanced force protection postures, potential VHF hailing, and congestion near anchorage areas," it added.

Iran’s central bank has no current plans to dissolve or merge any banks, the country’s state media reported on Monday.

Banks with balance-sheet imbalances were taking steps to improve capital adequacy and correct their financial positions, according to the report.

The central bank’s policy toward such banks will continue as in the previous year, and they will remain restricted from overdrawing from the central bank, the report said.

The Iranian vessel M/V Touska, seized by US forces after attempting to breach a naval blockade, has been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation to Iran along with its crew, a CENTCOM spokesman told ABC News.

The ship was intercepted in April after US forces said it failed to comply with repeated warnings while attempting to pass through restricted waters.

The transfer comes as Donald Trump has announced a new initiative aimed at guiding commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran had condemned the seizure as unlawful and described it as “piracy,” amid already heightened tensions over maritime control in the region.