Iran has reimposed controls over the Strait of Hormuz, walking back its earlier decision to reopen the vital waterway, and formally accused the United States of violating a recently brokered ceasefire.
The reversal came swiftly on Saturday after Washington made clear it had no intention of lifting its blockade on Iran-linked shipping. Iran’s joint military command announced that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state… under strict management and control of the armed forces,” adding that restrictions would remain in place for as long as the US blockade on Iranian ports continued.
The standoff unfolds against the backdrop of fresh diplomatic activity in the region. A new round of negotiations between Iranian and American delegations is expected in Islamabad on Monday, with delegations likely arriving in the Pakistani capital a day earlier, Iranian officials familiar with the talks told CNN.
US President Donald Trump had made Washington’s position unambiguous even after Iran declared the strait reopened on Friday, he stated the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran agrees to a deal with Washington, including on its nuclear programme.
The dispute over the strategic chokepoint risks aggravating an already strained global energy market. Oil prices had dipped on Friday on cautious optimism that both sides were edging toward an agreement, but Iran’s renewed restrictions threaten to squeeze supply once again. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil transits through the strait, making any sustained disruption a potential trigger for price spikes.
Control of the strait has long been one of Tehran’s most powerful pieces of leverage. The crisis prompted the United States to deploy naval forces and impose a blockade on Iranian ports as part of a broader push to compel Tehran into accepting a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire aimed at winding down nearly seven weeks of conflict involving Israel, the US, and Iran.
Also Read:Ukraine Security Chief Rustem Umerov Meets Jaishankar And Doval To Boost India Ties
Iran had initially indicated it was reopening the strait to commercial vessels following a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But after Trump’s statement that the blockade would hold regardless, Iranian officials declared the move a direct violation of last week’s ceasefire terms and warned the waterway would not stay open under those conditions.
Shipping analytics firm Kpler confirmed that vessel movement through the strait remains restricted to corridors subject to Iranian approval. US Central Command, meanwhile, said American forces have turned back 21 ships to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, in a post on X.
-
-
-
-
