Iran reverses Hormuz reopening as ceasefire with US nears expiry

Strait closure follows Trump's refusal to lift port blockade, with talks set to resume in Pakistan despite threats of renewed strikes.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, hours after announcing its reopening, citing a continued US naval blockade of Iranian ports as a violation of the ceasefire agreement²⁶¹³. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any vessel attempting passage without permission would be considered cooperation with the enemy and would be targeted¹⁴¹⁵.

At least two ships reported coming under fire while attempting to transit the strait on Saturday, and shipping data showed no movement through the waterway after midnight GMT on Sunday⁸⁴. One tanker was struck by gunfire from Iranian gunboats, while an unknown projectile hit a container ship, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre¹².

US President Donald Trump accused Iran on Sunday of a "total violation" of the ceasefire for firing on ships near the strait⁵⁶⁷. He renewed threats to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges unless Tehran accepted his terms, posting on social media: "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"⁵⁶⁷

Trump also announced that US forces had seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Touska, in the Gulf of Oman after its crew refused orders to stop¹⁰¹¹. He said the Navy stopped the vessel "by blowing a hole in the engine room" and that Marines were examining its cargo¹⁰. Iran's state media condemned the seizure as "armed piracy" and vowed retaliation¹¹.

Despite the escalation, Trump said his envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for a second round of talks⁵⁶⁷. A White House official said the delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance and include envoy Steven Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner⁹. However, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported that Tehran had rejected the talks, citing "Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade"⁹.

Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the two sides remained "far apart" on nuclear issues and control of the strait⁸¹⁵. He told state television that "it is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot"¹⁰.

The current two-week ceasefire, which began after a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, is set to expire on Wednesday¹⁴. Oil prices surged more than 7 percent on Monday following the weekend's attacks and conflicting signals on negotiations¹².

The conflict, which began on 28 February with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran, has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally transits³⁴¹⁷.