Iran reverses Strait of Hormuz reopening amid US blockade standoff

Tehran closed the strategic waterway again after Washington refused to lift its port blockade, threatening renewed conflict.

Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz less than 24 hours after announcing commercial vessels could pass through the waterway, citing a continued US naval blockade of Iranian ports as a violation of ceasefire terms²³¹⁷. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any vessel attempting to transit the strait without permission would be targeted¹⁸¹⁹.

The about-face followed a brief period on Friday during which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the strait was open to all commercial vessels for the remainder of a US-brokered 10-day truce between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon²³. At least two ships reported coming under fire while attempting passage on Saturday⁴⁵¹³, and shipping data showed no movement through the waterway after midnight GMT on Sunday⁸.

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of a "total violation" of the ceasefire for firing on ships near the strait and threatened to "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran" unless Tehran accepted his terms⁵⁶⁷. Trump said his envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for talks, though he maintained the US blockade "will remain in full force" until a deal is reached¹⁰¹¹.

Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had rejected the proposed second round of negotiations, citing "Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade"⁹¹¹. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, said in a television interview that "it is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot"¹⁰¹⁹.

Trump announced on Sunday that US forces had seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel named Touska in the Gulf of Oman after the ship refused orders to stop, with the US Navy "blowing a hole in the engine room"¹⁰¹². Iran's military condemned the action as "armed piracy" and vowed to retaliate¹²¹⁵.

Oil prices surged more than 5% on Monday as the standoff intensified¹³¹⁶. Brent crude futures rose to $95.46 a barrel, reversing a 9% decline from Friday when Iran had initially announced the strait's reopening¹⁶. The Strait of Hormuz typically carries approximately one-fifth of global oil shipments³⁸¹⁷.

The conflict between the US, Israel and Iran began on 28 February and has killed thousands¹³. The current two-week ceasefire is set to expire on Tuesday unless extended¹⁸.