NPR News: 06-21-2026 2AM EDT

Dale Willman· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Vice President Vance has arrived in Switzerland for talks between US and Iranian negotiators on the ceasefire deal. US Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are also there. Pakistan is mediating the talks, which are expected to take place Sunday. But as NPR's Diaa Hadid reports from Islamabad, the talks come as tensions escalate, with Iran saying it's again closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaker 20:28

The statement came even as Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, met the Iranian Foreign Minister. Naqvi's previous visits, which revived talks between the US and Iran. It also came as Iran insisted it had shuttered the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the US of not stopping its ally, Israel, of bombing Lebanon. Reuters reports at least twenty people were killed. But the US insisted the strait remained open. Despite the tensions, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said a delegation was heading to Switzerland. Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Islamabad.

Dale Willman· Host1:02

Southern Europe is once again bracing for unusually high temperatures in the coming days. This follows a record-breaking heatwave in May and early June. As Alison Roberts reports from Portugal, one of the places where a high risk of wildfires exists is of particular concern.

Alison Roberts1:19

Temperatures as high as one hundred and ten degrees are foreseen in Portugal's interior, with more than half the country at maximum fire risk by Tuesday, with nighttime temperatures in many areas stuck above seventy