Lion and Sun flag of IranIran Revolution 26
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Day 118 of the WarThursday, June 25, 2026

Day 118 — The IRGC Navy Reneges on Oman's New Hormuz Route and Ships Turn Back; Rubio Tells the GCC 'Toll or Fee, the Answer Is No'; 57 Ships Clear Hormuz Under the UN Plan; F-35s Fly off the USS Tripoli; Lebanon Strips Khamenei Banners from Beirut Airport

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Strait of HormuzBeirut

U.S. Keeps the Watch — F-35s off the Tripoli, F-16 Patrols Overhead

  • CENTCOM reports F-35 fighters taking off and landing aboard the USS Tripoli (LHA 7) in the Arabian Sea — flagship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit — while F-16s fly patrols across the Middle East, signaling a vigilant U.S. presence.source
  • Separately, CENTCOM announces a June 19 airstrike in northwestern Syria killed high-ranking ISIS leader Ali Hussein al-Ulaywi, and the U.S. Treasury sanctions three individuals and six entities — a reminder Washington is still hunting across the wider theater.source

The Strait Reopens on Paper — IRGC Navy Says It's Still Closed

Gulf & Naval
  • Less than 48 hours after Ghalibaf and Araghchi visited Oman, the IRGC Navy rejects Muscat's newly announced alternative transit route through Hormuz, warning any vessel using unauthorized corridors 'will be dealt with' — directly contradicting the joint statement.source
  • Open Source Intel reports ships are again turning around in the strait as the IRGC Navy broadcasts that Hormuz is closed, permitting only vessels with Iranian permission to pass; CBS says five outbound tankers reversed course while three rerouted north near Iran's coast.source
  • IMO data show that since Tuesday, June 23, roughly 57 ships carrying around 1,100 seafarers have passed through Hormuz under the UN evacuation plan; the AP notes traffic is rising via the new UN-introduced route but remains below pre-war levels.source

Rubio in Bahrain — 'Call It a Toll or a Fee, the Answer Is No'

  • At a joint meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers in Bahrain, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejects Iran's attempts to normalize transit fees: 'Call it a toll, call it a fee, call it whatever you want' — no country may charge for international shipping lanes, and the President will not accept it.source
  • Rubio adds that GCC member states do not support tolls for Hormuz or other international waterways; Oman's foreign minister likewise says any future Hormuz arrangements will not include transit fees, isolating Tehran on the question.source
  • Analysts note the MoU explicitly binds Iran to 'use its best efforts to arrange safe passage' for commercial vessels — so the IRGC Navy's closures and Tehran's fee push are read as an early test of American limits and a bid to rewrite the strait's rules.source

Lebanon Peels Off the Posters — Khamenei Banners Come Down at Beirut Airport

Global
  • Lebanon's Interior Minister orders the removal of all billboards and banners thanking the Islamic Republic from around Beirut Airport, with officials given two days to carry it out — a public sign of Tehran's waning grip on parts of Lebanon.source

Sources