NPR News: 06-20-2026 12PM EDT

Vice President Jane D. Vans said he expects to travel to Switzerland in the coming days for negotiations on Iran, after Tehran claimed it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again. In an interview with Fox News, Vans dismissed reports that the closure was a response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, insisting the ceasefire was going well and the strait was now open. However, he acknowledged that some challenges and dangers remain, and that clearing mines from the waterway will take time.

European leaders clash over Russia policy

A summit of the 27 EU heads of state and government was dominated by controversy over how to handle Russia. Terry Scholz reported that some countries, including Belgium and Spain, support establishing a direct diplomatic channel to Moscow. "What I'm doing through my office is to establish a diplomatic channel because we cannot depend only on others to interpret Russian messages, and we must be able to convey directly our own messages," one leader said. But French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz were among those rejecting the move, saying the time was not right for such outreach.

Cuba announces sweeping economic reforms