RUSSIA PERSPECTIVE

Moscow, June 21, 2026. Three days after the urgent signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, the Strait of Hormuz has closed again—and Russian media treats this reversal as a window into fragile diplomatic architecture rather than an isolated crisis.

On June 18, the United States and Iran concluded a long-distance agreement stipulating the end of the conflict that began on February 28, a gradual lifting of the American naval blockade on Iranian ports, and the restoration of oil transit through the strait. The first tankers had crossed the waterway, with Donald Trump quick to announce that "oil is flowing again." But by Saturday, June 20, Iran's military command declared the strait closed, citing continued Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon—a "violation of the first point of the memorandum," according to Tehran, which had required a halt to all hostilities on all fronts as a precondition.

Iranian military sources cited by the Fars agency, relayed by Interfax and RIA Novosti, are categorical: "The naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps authorize no passage until further notice." Only vessels bound for Iranian ports continue to move through. The analytical firm HFA confirms this on-the-ground reality, noting that no other ships have transited the strait since Saturday morning.

Washington contests this account. Vice President J.D. Vance stated on Fox that "16 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday," calling the figure a "record dating back before the conflict." CENTCOM reinforced this, tallying 55 commercial vessels carrying more than 17 million barrels since the memorandum was signed. CENTCOM's spokesman, Captain Tim Hawkins, settled the matter: "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz." These contradictory claims—Tehran says closed, Washington says open—structure the entirety of Russian media coverage, which presents both versions in parallel without adjudicating.

Meduza notes that halting Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon appeared as the first point of the memorandum, yet the Israeli military struck Lebanon during the night of June 19 to 20, killing 32 people, according to the IDF in response to Hezbollah fire on its southern positions. This exact sequence triggered Iran's new closure.

The issue plays out in Burgenstock. According to TASS citing the Financial Times, the American delegation led by Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf—accompanied by Pakistani and Qatari mediators—converged on the Swiss resort town on Sunday morning for closed-door technical talks. The first item on the agenda will be the mechanism for monitoring the Lebanese ceasefire, before addressing the strait's status and Iran's nuclear program, which will be negotiated over sixty days. For Tehran, the expected outcome remains the lifting of Iranian sanctions.

RT emphasizes that the preliminary agreement required Iran to "make best efforts to ensure safe passage of commercial vessels"—language deemed vague, leaving Tehran comfortable leeway to justify closure by pointing to American failure to honor its own commitments.