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UN says it will evacuate sailors stranded in Strait of Hormuz, as Rubio warns against tolls
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The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors who have been stranded in the Gulf because of the US-Israel war against Iran.IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said the "large-scale operation" would be carried out in cooperation with Iran, Oman, the US, other coastal states in the region and the maritime industry. "We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations," he added.An interim deal was signed last week to end the conflict, but both the US and Iran continue to clash on details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).The US has said the MoU includes guarantees that Iran's nuclear weapons programme will come under inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).US President Donald Trump posted on social media on Tuesday: "Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!). This will insure 'Nuclear Honesty.'"Shortly before Trump's post, Iran said the UN watchdog would not be able to inspect nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year.In response, a US official said: "the Iranians have agreed to robust IAEA inspections of the remains of their nuclear weapons programme. The Iranian regime will say what they have to say for their domestic audience." Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a visit to Pakistan on Tuesday that Iran "will never negotiate with anyone, under any circumstances, ever, about our defensive capabilities"."If the missiles we have for our defence did not exist, Israel and the United States would have ploughed Iran just like Gaza, showing no mercy to either the old or the young," he added.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a tour of the Gulf on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will also visit Kuwait and Bahrain - which both host US military bases - to discuss the deal with Tehran.The secretary of state warned on Tuesday that no country is allowed to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been pushing to charge ships passing through."It's an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law," he said as he arrived in the UAE. "I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. I think all the countries in this region would agree with us." Evacuating stranded sailors hinges on the Strait remaining open.IMO secretary-general Dominguez said the deal to help them marked "a decisive step towards restoring maritime security and bringing to an end the unacceptable attacks against civilian shipping"."After months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers, and negative impact on the whole world, I welcome with deep satisfaction the peace agreement concluded between the United States and Iran," he said.As part of the IMO's evacuation plan, two temporary routes through the strait could be used, with vessels being contacted individually for further instructions, according to Oman's notice to mariners provided by the IMO. The IMO said it would issue a daily report on the number of ships leaving the region safely.After February 28, when attacks against Iran first began, the country effectively closed the strait - which caused global oil prices to go beyond $100 (£75) a barrel of Brent crude oil. The closure also choked off shipments of energy and crucial commodities such as fertiliser.So far, at least 172 vessels have travelled through the reopened Strait of Hormuz -which included 42 ships on Saturday alone, according to new data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.The number of vessels transiting from 18 June, the day after the deal was signed, is still well below the pre-conflict average of some 138 crossings each day.Ship-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify shows more than 200 tankers appear to be waiting inside the strait on Tuesday.
A man walks past a welcoming billboard featuring Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center, with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, right, and Shehbaz Sharif along a roadside in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption toggle caption Anjum Naveed/AP ISLAMABAD — Iran's president was traveling to Pakistan on Tuesday for talks with officials who have been mediating negotiations between Tehran and Washington on a permanent end to the war in the Middle East even as discrepancies were emerging on what had been agreed so far. President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Islamabad comes as technical teams were working on details of the deal, following high-level negotiations in Switzerland on Monday led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. In Tehran, Iran's capital, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters that no visits have been scheduled for the U.N. watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — to see Iranian nuclear sites bombed by the United States last year. Vance had previously said the negotiations in Switzerland won an agreement for IAEA to inspect the sites. The IAEA has been in and out of Iran since Israel's 12-day war against Iran in 2025, but has not been granted access to the bombed enrichment sites targeted by the U.S. in that war. Iran's president makes his first visit to Islamabad since war started Security was tight in the area of Islamabad where the Iranian president was to meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It's Pezeshkian's first visit since the conflict started with the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28. Pezeshkian and Sharif were to hold joint news conference after their discussions. In the initial talks, marking the start of a 60-day diplomatic process that seeks to reach a permanent deal to end the Iran war, Iran and the U.S. agreed to create a "de-confliction cell" to address the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia group. The U.S. said negotiators also discussed "mechanisms" to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the transit of oil that Iran had effectively blocked during the war, remains open. Ahead of his meetings in Pakistan, Pezeshkian cautioned that "the effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation." "Progress on this path will be measured by practical adherence to accepted responsibilities," he wrote on X. "Statements outside the agreed text do not help advance the negotiations." Iran says negotiation groups focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues and more Iran suggested the ongoing technical talks in Switzerland have led to the creation of specific negotiation groups, which include those focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues, reconstruction and monitoring, according to a the state-run IRNA news agency. The report quoted Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister leading the technical talks, saying that the countries involved also formed a contact mechanism over ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz and over the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. It remains unclear whether the de-confliction cell being created will be enough to stop fighting between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel, which occupies part of Lebanon and insists it must maintain a free hand to attack militants launching attacks into northern Israel. Netanyahu raises new questions over fragile Lebanon ceasefire Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the cell would include the Lebanese government and would "ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon," but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised new questions late on Monday, saying his military still has "full freedom of action to thwart any direct or emerging threat to them or to the residents of the north." Neither Israe
Iran says it is closing Strait of Hormuz, testing fragile agreement with U.S. The Washington Post Iran reportedly closes Strait of Hormuz again as Vance heads to Switzerland for talks CNBC Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed over ceasefire violations after continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon NBC News US, Iran set to hold talks in Switzerland; Israel kills 16 in Lebanon Al Jazeera New Strait of Hormuz Closure Announcement Threatens the Slow Uptick in Traffic The New York Times
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