Prime negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says US naval blockade of Iran’s ports is ‘a careless 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 cross by means of the waterway might be focused, a dramatic reversal lower than 24 hours after the vital delivery lane was reopened.
In a press release carried by Iran’s Scholar Information Company, the IRGC navy stated on Saturday the strait might 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 battle on Iran.
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“We warn that no vessel of any type ought to transfer from its anchorage within the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and approaching the Strait of Hormuz might be thought-about cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel might be focused,” it stated.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a senior negotiator in talks between Washington and Tehran on ending the battle, stated in a tv interview that “the Strait of Hormuz is beneath 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, consistent with a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Oil costs dropped on world markets after Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Friday that the waterway was “fully open for all industrial vessels.”
Greater than a dozen industrial ships handed by means of the waterway earlier than the IRGC reversed course.
Iranian gunboats reportedly fired on two industrial ships on Saturday, in accordance 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 acquired radio messages from the IRGC Navy, warning that no ships had 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 just isn’t reached. Trump added that the naval blockade would “stay in full power”.
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 before today.
“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, probably resulting in a ceasefire deal and a everlasting finish to the battle,” he stated.
“As upset as folks could also be, this isn’t fully shocking. What we’re seeing now’s 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 state of affairs through which 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 unfavorable engagement. And it’s the area the place they’re sending and conveying messages to the People, displaying their leverage,” he stated.
