Hormuz must stay shut until $12B released, Israel leaves Lebanon - Tasnim

The directive, addressed to media managers and editors, said the renewed closure of Hormuz came in response to what it called continued ceasefire violations and Israeli actions in southern Lebanon, while Iran’s negotiating team was heading to Switzerland.

It said the Islamic Republic was pursuing a “single strategy” that combines deterrence and military leverage with diplomacy to force the other side to implement its commitments and protect Iran’s national interests.

The directive urged media outlets to frame military actions not as a replacement for diplomacy but as its support, and to avoid presenting negotiations as a sign of retreat.

It also called on outlets to emphasize the “synergy” between military power and diplomacy in securing national interests.

Iran's negotiating team led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has left Tehran for Switzerland ahead of technical talks with the United States, which Pakistan says will start on Sunday. US Vice-President JD Vance is also expected to join them in Switzerland, CNN reported citing a US official.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also part of the Iranian delegation, according to the reports by Tehran outlets.

The team also includes Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati and Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy for international affairs at the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei and Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Boord are also accompanying the delegation.

The heads of Iran's three branches of power - the government, the parliament and the judiciary - discussed upcoming negotiations and post-war recovery efforts in a meeting hosted by President Masoud Pezeshkian, his office said.

The meeting was attended by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's chief negotiator in US talks, and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

According to the statement, the three officials reviewed the country’s latest political, economic, social and international developments, including conditions following the recent war.

They also discussed measures to strengthen national resilience, improve coordination among state institutions, speed up compensation for war-related damage and rebuild capacities affected during the conflict.

The statement did not name the United States, but said the “process of upcoming negotiations,” the need for coordination among responsible bodies and strategies to protect national interests within the framework of the country’s broader policies were among the key issues discussed.

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US Central Command said commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz increased on June 20, with US forces continuing to operate in the area in support of freedom of navigation.

CENTCOM said safe passage through the international waterway remained intact, with 55 merchant ships transiting the strait during the day and carrying large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.

The statement was released after Iran announced the closure of the strategic waterway.

CENTCOM also cited a Joint Maritime Information Center advisory affirming safe passage for vessels along a designated route “free of arbitrary requirement claims or impediments.”

“U.S. forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” the statement said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic, citing what it described as US violations of ceasefire commitments and Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Fars News Agency quoted a military source in the IRGC Navy as saying the strategic waterway had been “completely closed” as of Saturday morning.

In a subsequent statement, the IRGC Navy said the move was a response to “US breaches of commitments in implementing the ceasefire” and “Israeli attacks in Lebanon.”

The force warned all vessels against approaching the Strait of Hormuz, saying their security could be endangered if they ignored the warning.