June 22nd, 2026: Iran Just Closed The Strait Of Hormuz Again
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It's Monday, the 22nd of June. Now, for all you dads listening and watching the PDB in the U.S., I hope you had a most excellent Father's Day. And here's, of course, to all the amazing moms who tolerate the dads. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed again. Uh-oh, just days after signing a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. And the key flashpoint continues to be Lebanon and Hezbollah, which is exactly what the Iranian regime intended when they insisted that Hezbollah be included as part of the MOU. We'll look at why the fighting in Lebanon is threatening to derail the deal.
Later in the show, after more than 50 days of disruptive roadblocks and protests, Bolivia's president is escalating the government's response against deadly anti-government protests, deploying the military and declaring emergency powers to restore order. Plus, Ukraine continues turning the screws on occupied Crimea, forcing Russian authorities to suspend civilian gasoline sales after a series of strikes targeting the fuel supplies across the peninsula. And in today's Back of the Brief, relations between Poland and Ukraine hit another rough patch after President Zelensky returned the country's highest Polish honor in a dispute rooted all the way back in World War II. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.
The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding is barely a week old, and it's already a Memorandum of Misunderstanding. You see what I did there? That's a little bit of wordplay. Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Switzerland this weekend for a round of talks with Iranian negotiators aimed at building on the much-touted MOU signed just last week by President Trump and Iranian President Massoud Bozeshkin. The negotiations, supposedly with a 60-day time frame, are reportedly to focus on the host of unresolved issues, including Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, and the future of Tehran's uranium stockpile. But before those talks could even begin, Iran once again reverted to form. On Saturday, Iranian military officials announced that they were closing the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Tehran, the closure is a response to the continued fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed and led Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian officials argue that the U.S. has failed to uphold its commitments under the memorandum by allowing the conflict to continue. Now, American officials dispute Iran's claim about the strait. U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, says commercial traffic is still moving through the strait. And Vice President J.D. Vance said before departing for Switzerland that he had seen no evidence that the waterway had actually been closed. Still, commercial shipping data suggests that traffic has slowed significantly, and Iranian officials insist that new transit permits are not being issued.
Whether the Strait is completely closed or simply difficult and risky to navigate may ultimately be beside the point. The larger issue is that Iran is once again using the world's most important energy chokepoint as leverage, and that brings us to what is clearly the biggest weakness in this entire memorandum of understanding.
Why is Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz again?
From the moment the details of the MOU emerged, the issue of Lebanon, especially, specifically, Hezbollah, looked like a poison pill. The agreement links progress between Washington and Tehran to a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and the insistence by Iran that Lebanon be included in the MOU and the U.S. administration's willingness to agree has created a major problem. President Trump can negotiate with Iran. He can offer sanctions relief. He can release frozen assets. He can provide economic incentives. What he can't do is order Israel to stop fighting or stop responding to attacks from Hezbollah. The only entity that can prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC.
Now, as a reminder, Israel was never a participant in these negotiations.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:12–3:36
2
Why is Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz again?
3:36–6:06
3
What are the implications of the unrest in Bolivia?
6:06–7:43
4
How is Ukraine increasing pressure on Crimea?
7:43–8:29
5
What historical tensions are affecting Poland and Ukraine relations?
8:29–26:34
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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