Iran reverses Strait of Hormuz reopening amid blockade standoff with US

Tehran closed the waterway again after Trump refused to lift US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz less than 24 hours after announcing the waterway would be accessible during a ceasefire period, citing the United States' refusal to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.²⁸ The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said control of the strait had "returned to its previous state" and warned that vessels attempting passage would be "considered cooperation with the enemy" and targeted.⁸¹⁰

The closure followed reports that Iranian gunboats opened fire on at least two ships attempting to transit the waterway on Saturday.⁵⁶ Shipping data showed no movement through the strait after midnight GMT on Sunday.⁷ The strait, which carries approximately one-fifth of the world's oil shipments, has been effectively closed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February.³⁸

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of "a total violation" of the ceasefire agreement and threatened to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges unless Tehran accepted his terms.⁵⁶ Trump said US envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening to resume talks, which began a week earlier without a breakthrough.⁵⁶

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had announced on Friday that the strait would be open to commercial vessels during the remainder of a 10-day US-brokered truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.²³ Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator, said the two sides remained "far apart" on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.⁷

Oil prices fell 11 percent following the initial reopening announcement on Friday, but the renewed closure raised concerns about a worsening global energy crisis.³⁷ Major shipping companies signalled it would take time for traffic through the chokepoint to return to normal levels, which averaged 130 ships daily before the war.³ The current two-week ceasefire is set to expire on 22 April.⁴⁹