Iran reverses Strait of Hormuz reopening amid US blockade dispute

Tehran closed the vital shipping lane hours after reopening it, after Washington refused to lift its own port blockade.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, hours after reopening the waterway, accusing the United States of violating a ceasefire by maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports²⁷. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strait would remain closed until the US restored freedom of navigation for Iranian vessels⁷⁹.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had announced on Friday that the strait was open to commercial vessels during a US-brokered 10-day truce between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon²³. At least two vessels reported being fired upon while attempting to pass through the waterway on Saturday, and shipping data showed no movement through the strait after midnight GMT on Sunday⁴⁶.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Iran of "total violation" of the ceasefire for firing on ships near the strait⁵. He threatened to "wipe out Iran's bridges and power plants" unless Tehran accepted his terms, while announcing US envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for further talks⁵. Trump had earlier said a deal to end the war could come "soon", though he did not believe a ceasefire extension would be necessary¹².

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the two sides remained far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz⁶. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Trump had no justification to deprive Iran of nuclear rights⁸.

The US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which started on 28 February, has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally transits³⁴. Oil prices fell by 11 percent following Araqchi's initial reopening announcement on Friday³. The current two-week ceasefire expires on 22 April⁴⁸.