Stories of Iranian gunboats opening fireplace on a tanker in strait, after Tehran mentioned it’s closing the waterway till the US lifts the blockade of its ports.
Revealed On 18 Apr 2026
Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz once more, calling the choice a response to a continued blockade of its ports by america.
The Iranian navy on Saturday mentioned management of the strategic waterway, by which 20 % of the worldwide oil flows, has “returned to its earlier state”, with studies saying Iranian gunboats fired at a service provider vessel because it tried to cross.
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The closure of the strait got here hours after it was reopened, with greater than a dozen business ships passing by the waterway, after a US-mediated 10-day ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Lebanon.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday mentioned in an announcement, cited by the Iranian media, that the continuing US blockade of Iranian ports represented “acts of piracy and maritime theft”, including that the management over Hormuz is “underneath the strict administration and management of the armed forces”.
“Till the US restores full freedom of navigation for vessels travelling from Iran to their locations and again, the standing of the Strait of Hormuz will stay tightly managed and in its earlier situation,” it mentioned.
By 10:30 GMT on Saturday, no fewer than eight oil and gas tankers had crossed the strait, however at the very least as many ships appeared to have turned again, having begun to exit the Gulf, the AFP information company reported.
The toing and froing over the strait forged doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day earlier than, {that a} peace deal to finish the US-Israel struggle on Iran was “very shut”.
Trump had celebrated the reopening of the strait on Friday, however warned the US assaults would resume till Iran agreed to a deal, which included its nuclear programme.
“Possibly I gained’t prolong it,” Trump advised reporters on board Air Pressure One concerning the short-term ceasefire settlement in place. “So that you’ll have a blockade, and sadly we’ll have to start out dropping bombs once more.”
Requested whether or not a possible deal could possibly be made on this brief timeframe, Trump mentioned: “I feel it’s going to occur.”
However Iran says no date has been agreed for one more spherical of peace talks, accusing the US of “betraying” diplomacy in all negotiations.
The conflicting and altering studies concerning the strait and the way a lot freedom ships need to transit by it have deterred many vessels from crossing, in line with John-Paul Rodrigue, a maritime transport specialist at Texas A&M College.
“Ships have been trying transit for the reason that announcement, however it seems like a lot of them are heading again as a result of the state of affairs is unclear,” Rodrigue advised Al Jazeera. “There may be contradictory info being issued by all events.”
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi mentioned “uncertainty is the secret” so far as the Strait of Hormuz is worried.
“Iran is on the lookout for a complete finish to the struggle throughout the area, safety assurances, sanctions reduction, the unfreezing of frozen property, regional relations – and on prime of all of that – the nuclear file and Iran’s stockpile of extremely enriched uranium,” he mentioned.
“However proper now, uncertainty is the secret. The delicate state of affairs makes it exhausting to speak about the opportunity of profitable negotiations down the street.”
