Pakistan, June 21 -- Iran on Saturday declared the Strait of Hormuz shut, appearing to raise the stakes ahead of the talks as both sides seek to advance an interim deal signed on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to end their almost four-month war.

The IRGC warned ships ?not to approach the waterway, a vital conduit for global oil and gas supplies whose closure Iran has used as leverage, citing what it called Israeli "crimes" in Lebanon and a US violation of commitments to establish a ceasefire. It said vessels would be at risk if they approached.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday announced that technical-level talks, as a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad Memorand...