Iran war day 118: IRGC rejects new Hormuz route; Rubio to meet GCC leaders
Key takeaways
- Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard warns against alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz as top US diplomat to meet Gulf officials.
- At the same time, differences remain over the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.
- Meanwhile, tensions continue in Lebanon despite ongoing diplomacy and a ceasefire.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard warns against alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz as top US diplomat to meet Gulf officials.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media on June 24, 2026, before boarding a US Air Force plane in Kuwait to fly to Bahrain to discuss the interim deal between the US and Iran with Arab Gulf countries [Eric Lee/Pool via Reuters]By Elizabeth Melimopoulos Published On 25 Jun 202625 Jun 2026US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain, where he is expected to reassure regional allies that Washington will protect their security and economic interests as it seeks to reach a peace deal with Iran.
At the same time, differences remain over the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors will return to Iran’s nuclear sites, but Tehran insisted inspections will resume only once a final agreement with the United States has been reached.