High negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says US naval blockade of Iran’s ports is ‘a slipshod and ignorant determination’.
Printed On 18 Apr 2026
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC) says the Strait of Hormuz is closed and that any ship that makes an attempt to go by means of the waterway will probably be focused, a dramatic reversal lower than 24 hours after the essential transport lane was reopened.
In an announcement carried by Iran’s Scholar Information Company, the IRGC navy stated on Saturday the strait will probably be closed till the US lifts its naval blockade on Iranian vessels and ports. It stated the blockade was a violation of the continued ceasefire settlement within the US-Israel struggle on Iran.
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“We warn that no vessel of any sort ought to transfer from its anchorage within the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and approaching the Strait of Hormuz will probably be thought-about cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will probably be focused,” it stated.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a senior negotiator in talks between Washington and Tehran on ending the struggle, stated in a tv interview that “the Strait of Hormuz is below the management of the Islamic Republic”.
“The People have been declaring a blockade for a number of days now. This can be a clumsy and ignorant determination,” he added.
The reassertion of management got here simply hours after Iran had briefly reopened the strait, in keeping with a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Oil costs dropped on international markets after Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Friday that the waterway was “utterly open for all business vessels.”
Greater than a dozen business ships handed by means of the waterway earlier than the IRGC reversed course.
Iranian gunboats reportedly fired on two business ships on Saturday, in keeping with United Kingdom Maritime Commerce Operations (UKMTO). India’s Ministry of Exterior Affairs additionally stated that two Indian-flagged ships have been concerned in a “capturing incident” within the strait.
Some service provider vessels within the area acquired radio messages from the IRGC Navy, warning that no ships have been being allowed by means of the strait.
US President Donald Trump stated Tehran couldn’t blackmail Washington by closing the waterway and warned that he would put an finish to the ceasefire if a deal earlier than its expiry on Wednesday is just not reached. Trump added that the naval blockade would “stay in full drive”.
Iranian Supreme Chief Mojtaba Khamenei, in the meantime, stated the navy was able to inflict “new bitter defeats” on its enemies.
‘Two competing blockades’
Al Jazeera correspondent Zein Basravi stated that Iran and the US are again the place they have been the day gone by.
“Lower than 24 hours in the past, world leaders have been praising what they thought was a breakthrough on this battle, hoping Iran was signalling a confidence-building measure by opening the Strait of Hormuz, doubtlessly resulting in a ceasefire deal and a everlasting finish to the struggle,” he stated.
“As disillusioned as folks could also be, this isn’t solely stunning. What we’re seeing now could be a return to sq. one,” he added, saying there are actually “two competing blockades in place”.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, stated Iran was utilizing the strait to ship a message.
“It’s clear that Iran is coping with a scenario wherein they don’t seem to be positive what’s on the desk. So the Strait of Hormuz is as soon as once more the one area for engagement, even when it’s a unfavourable engagement. And it’s the area the place they’re sending and conveying messages to the People, exhibiting their leverage,” he stated.
