Prime negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says US naval blockade of Iran’s ports is ‘a slipshod and ignorant resolution’.
Revealed 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 cross by way of the waterway will likely be focused, a dramatic reversal lower than 24 hours after the important delivery lane was reopened.
In an announcement carried by Iran’s Scholar Information Company, the IRGC navy stated on Saturday the strait will likely be closed till the USA lifts its naval blockade on Iranian vessels and ports. It stated the blockade was a violation of the continuing 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 likely be thought-about cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will likely 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 underneath the management of the Islamic Republic”.
“The People have been declaring a blockade for a number of days now. It is a clumsy and ignorant resolution,” he added.
The reassertion of management got here simply hours after Iran had briefly reopened the strait, according to 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 way of the waterway earlier than the IRGC reversed course.
Iranian gunboats reportedly fired on two business ships on Saturday, in line with United Kingdom Maritime Commerce Operations (UKMTO). India’s Ministry of Exterior Affairs additionally stated that two Indian-flagged ships had been concerned in a “taking pictures incident” within the strait.
Some service provider vessels within the area obtained radio messages from the IRGC Navy, warning that no ships had been being allowed by way 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 will not be reached. Trump added that the naval blockade would “stay in full pressure”.
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 had been the day gone by.
“Lower than 24 hours in the past, world leaders had 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 totally 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 during which they aren’t certain what’s on the desk. So the Strait of Hormuz is as soon as once more the one house for engagement, even when it’s a unfavorable engagement. And it’s the house the place they’re sending and conveying messages to the People, displaying their leverage,” he stated.
