Iranian government says it will regain strict control over the maritime canal and claims that the US is violating an agreement that allowed commercial ships to pass
Iran announced this Saturday (April 18, 2026) that it will once again exercise strict control over commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement was made by Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Central General Headquarters of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The military stated that the decision was taken after the United States did not ease its naval blockade on the Persian country, violating an agreement between the 2 countries.
“Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state and this strategic strait is under the strict management and control of the Armed Forces”declared the Iranian spokesman.
The statement comes 1 day after the Iranian government announced that the Strait of Hormuz was fully open for the passage of commercial vessels during the ceasefire period negotiated with the US, which expires on April 22. On the occasion, the North American president (Republican Party) celebrated the reopening of the strait.
Even though he was satisfied with the unblocking of Hormuz, Trump declared on Friday (17 April) that he would fight Iranian vessels in Hormuz until the conclusion of negotiations to end the war.
In his profile on , the head of the Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, Ebrahim Azizi, echoed Zolfaghari’s speech. The Iranian politician wrote that the US decided to ignore Iran’s demands to end the naval blockade and that traffic in Hormuz will therefore be limited again.
The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway through which about 1/5 of the global supply of oil and gas passes. The passage has been practically blocked since the United States and Israel began their offensive against Iran on February 28.
