Iran’s military said on April 18 it has reinstated “strict military oversight” over the Strait of Hormuz due to Washington’s ongoing naval blockade of Iranian shipping, signaling an apparent reversal to a brief reopening of the critical global oil transit chokepoint announced a day earlier by Iran’s foreign minister and clouding the delicate peace negotiations taking place in the background.
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement published by Iran’s official IRNA news outlet and Iran’s state-run Press TV that the move was triggered by the continued U.S. naval blockade and what he described as repeated violations of prior understandings governing maritime traffic through the strait.
“Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state and this strategic strait is under strict management and control of the Armed Forces,” he said, per IRNA.
Zolfaqari said Iran had earlier “agreed in good faith, following prior agreements in negotiations, to allow the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” while describing the ongoing U.S. naval blockade as “piracy and maritime theft” and a breach of ceasefire commitments.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire amid diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution that would address the threat to Israel from the Hezbollah terrorist group, which has been using southern Lebanon to stage attacks targeting Israeli communities.
Meanwhile, a convoy of tankers was seen departing the Gulf and transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to vessel-tracking data. The group was made up of four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, with more tankers following from the Gulf, MarineTraffic data showed.
At the same time, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported an incident on April 18, in which Iranian gunboats fired upon a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, with no casualties reported.
“The Master of a Tanker reports being approached by 2 IRGC gun boats, no VHF challenge that then fired upon the tanker,” UKMTO said in a notice. “Tanker and crew are reported safe.”
Also, two Indian vessels were forced back west in the strait on Saturday by Iran’s navy, according to TankerTrackers, which reported that “firing was involved.”
Ceasefire Opening Apparently Reversed
The Saturday announcement by Iran’s military appears to mark a reversal from just a day earlier, when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the strait “completely open” for commercial shipping during a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Aragchi added that vessels would be required to follow a “coordinated route” approved by Tehran, suggesting the reopening was still subject to restrictions.
That move, which eased global market concerns and sent oil prices tumbling, was welcomed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said on social media that the waterway was “completely open and ready for business and full passage” and that Iran had agreed to “never” close the Strait of Hormuz again.
Iranian officials later said that any reopening of the strait would be conditional and tightly controlled. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X that U.S. claims about the situation were “false,” and that if pressure from Washington continues in the form of “continuation of the blockade,” the Strait of Hormuz “will not remain open.”
“Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be conducted based on the ‘designated route’ and with ‘Iranian authorization,’” he said, adding that conditions on the ground—not public statements—would determine whether the strait remains accessible.
Trump Warns Ceasefire May Collapse
The renewed restrictions come as Trump signaled that a broader ceasefire with Iran could unravel within days if no long-term agreement is reached.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on April 17, Trump said he may not extend the current truce beyond its deadline next week, when asked what he would do if no deal is in place by April 22.
“Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,” he said. “So you have a blockade, and unfortunately, we’ll have to start dropping bombs again.”
At the same time, the president told Reuters on Friday that the United States would work with Iran to recover its enriched uranium and remove it to the United States.
“We’re going to get it together. We’re going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery. … We’ll bring it back to the United States,” Trump said in a phone interview.
Iranian officials have denied agreeing to cede control of Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
“Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere,” Baghaei later told Iranian state television. “Transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option for us.”
Iran is believed to hold more than 900 pounds of uranium enriched to about 60 percent purity, with its nuclear program remaining one of the most contentious issues in U.S.–Iran negotiations.
