Iran officials said on Saturday the government had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a brief reopening and casting fresh doubt over whether vessels can safely transit the critical global oil route.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military command issued a statement claiming that control of the Strait of Hormuz has now “returned to its previous status” due to the ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
BBC showed digital images of maritime traffic decreasing through the strait, while ships reported attacks.
🚨 BREAKING
Iran's Central Military HQ:
Iran agreed to allow a limited number of ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz according to agreements.#But U.S. did not fulfill their obligations.
🚨 So, the Strait of Hormuz is now #closed again and passage requires IRAN approval.— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) April 18, 2026
In a statement cited by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, the Revolutionary Guards command said the US had “continued its acts of piracy under the guise of the so-called blockade.”
On Saturday afternoon, shipping sources said at least two vessels reported coming under fire and being hit while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. According to authorities in India, the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi had been summoned, and it had expressed deep concerns to him over two Indian-flagged ships that had come under fire in the waterway.
BBC reported that a tanker and a container ship have both reported attacks off the coast of Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
US President Donald Trump has said the US blockade on ships sailing to Iranian ports will remain in place until “our negotiations with Iran are 100 percent complete”—a negotiation, he revealed, which is not certain to lead to an extension of the ceasefire. “I may not extend (the ceasefire), but the blockade on Iranian ports will remain,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.
Hours earlier, the US President had announced “some pretty good news” about Iran, but he declined to elaborate. Nonetheless, he also said fighting might resume without a peace deal by Wednesday, when a two-week ceasefire expires.
Earlier on Saturday, a convoy of eight tankers was transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the first major movement of ships since the US-Israeli war on Iran began seven weeks ago, even as Tehran moved to tighten control of the waterway.
Hormuz Strait closed again
Iran had announced its temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following a separate US-brokered 10-day ceasefire agreement on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon.
However, on Saturday, Iran’s Armed Forces command said transit through the strait had reverted to a state of strict Iranian military control, citing what it described as repeated US violations and acts of “piracy” under the guise of a blockade.
According to the spokesperson, Iran had earlier agreed “in good faith” to the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels following negotiations but said continued US actions had forced Tehran to restore tighter controls on shipping through the strategic waterway, essentially meaning that the Strait of Hormuz is closed yet again.
It is uncertain whether high-level US-Iran talks will resume soon, especially on the agreement over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and that supersedes everything else,” the US President maintained.
Trump also said he might end the ceasefire with Iran unless a long-term deal to end the war was agreed before it expires on Wednesday, adding that a US blockade of Iranian ports would continue.
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