Day 113 of the WarSaturday, June 20, 2026
Day 113 — The IRGC Navy Declares Hormuz Closed While CENTCOM Says Iran Never Controlled It and Trump Promises No Tolls for 60 Days; Five More Israeli Soldiers Die as Lebanon Fighting Grinds On and Israel Expands Its Southern Zone; Vance Heads to Switzerland for Technical Talks With Iran, Pakistan and Qatar; the Hidden Heir Mojtaba and Cracks Widen in the Guard
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Strait of HormuzSouthern LebanonSwitzerland
The Hidden Heir and the Cracks in the Guard
- Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaght, brother-in-law of Mostafa Khamenei, says security experts have advised new leader Mojtaba Khamenei not to publish his image or voice — explaining his conspicuous absence as the regime buries his father.source
- A video attributed to an IRGC member, circulated by regime-affiliated channels, criticizes directives from political officials and calls for opposition to current policies — pointing to widening internal rifts within the Guard as the succession settles.source
Iran Declares Hormuz Closed — Washington Says It Never Controlled It
Gulf & Naval- The IRGC Navy announces over radio that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to navigation 'due to Israeli actions in Lebanon and US violations of commitments,' ordering all vessels to stay away for their own safety — a direct breach of the reopening promised in the memorandum.source
- Reuters, citing a CENTCOM spokesman, reports the Iranian regime does not control the Strait of Hormuz and that traffic continues without interruption under U.S. protection; former Defense Secretary Mark Esper tells Fox News Iran's threats alone could still scare off insurers and shippers.source
- Trump writes on Truth Social that for the 60-day ceasefire period there will be no tolls whatsoever in the Strait of Hormuz — and none afterward either, unless a final agreement is not reached — framing free passage as a service to Middle Eastern countries.source
Five More Israeli Soldiers Dead as the Lebanon Fighting Grinds On
Global- An IDF official says five Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks over the past 48 hours, with more than 50 rockets targeting troops in southern Lebanon overnight — describing the barrages as violations of the ceasefire agreement.source
- The IDF says it halted cross-border fire after overnight and morning airstrikes on Hezbollah, but keeps operating in an expanded southern security zone now reaching the Ali Taher ridge near Nabatieh; LiveIranNews reports at least five people killed in the day's Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.source
Vance Heads to Switzerland — Technical Talks With Iran, Pakistan and Qatar
Global- VP JD Vance departs for Switzerland to begin technical talks with the Iranians, Pakistanis and Qataris, saying he hopes to make progress on the nuclear issue and the Lebanon ceasefire — the deal's implementation moving to a negotiating table even as the guns keep firing.source
- Iran International analyst Morad Vaisi says the Islamic Republic is downplaying the memorandum and deflecting blame onto Pezeshkian because it fears the outcome of the negotiations; Raja News reports the new leader protested that raising the nuclear issue at Islamabad was 'contrary to Sharia.'source