Iran tightens Strait of Hormuz controls after US blockade

Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces,” signaling renewed restrictions on a key global shipping route. The command warned it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. The move came one day after President Trump said in a phone interview that the strait was “completely open.”

 

Officials described the Iranian decision as a rapid reversal after the U.S. indicated the blockade would not be lifted. The Iranian military statement was issued the morning after President Trump said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program. Separately, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman told state TV that the country’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere.

 

President Trump said in the Friday phone interview that Iran has “agreed to everything,” and that Iran would work with the U.S. to remove its enriched uranium. He said the two sides are meeting this weekend and that the U.S. would keep its military blockade of Iranian ports and vessels “until we get it done.” Asked who would retrieve the enriched uranium, he said only “our people,” and he added that removing it would not involve U.S. ground troops.

 

Maritime security risks also surfaced in the waterway. The British military said Saturday that two Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker and crew were reported safe, without identifying the vessel or its destination.

 

Diplomatic efforts were also described by regional officials. Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said Saturday, while attending an Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, that Egypt and Pakistan are working “very hard” as mediators to reach “a final agreement between the United States and Iran.” He said the countries hoped to reach an agreement “in the coming days,” adding that “the whole world is suffering from the continuation of this war.”

 

In a separate development, the Israeli military said Saturday it had established a “Yellow Line” demarcation in southern Lebanon. It said it had struck suspected militants approaching its troops along the line, describing the incidents as violations of ceasefire understandings and saying it was authorized to act against threats despite the ceasefire.

 

Key uncertainties remain around the durability of the current ceasefire and the conditions tied to maritime access. S. blockade of Iranian ports would remain even if the current ceasefire expires next week, and he suggested he might not extend the two-week ceasefire that began April 8 and is slated to expire on Wednesday, April 22. S. Central Command said the blockade, which began Monday, has forced 21 ships to turn around and return to Iran.