The presidential office’s deputy director for communications and news affairs, Tabatabaei, said on the 21st that pressing for an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon will be Iran’s negotiation delegation’s chief diplomatic priority in the next phase. He said unconditional implementation of the first clause of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US is critical to keeping the deal on track, and warned that continued Israeli action in Lebanon would undermine the credibilit

CNN reported that after Iran announced on Saturday it would close the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' naval unit warned vessels not to approach the waterway. A state broadcaster reporter said the IRGC issued radio warnings and directly contacted ships, saying vessels attempting to transit could encounter sea mines or be targeted by Iranian naval forces. The reporter added vessel traffic in the Persian Gulf had fallen further compared with several hours earlier.

On the 20th, Iran supreme leader adviser Mokhber posted on social media that commitments in the Iran‑US memorandum must be fully implemented and Iran’s national rights respected. He warned that if the memorandum remains on paper only, energy flows in the Middle East would stall.