Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps navy has abruptly reinstated severe restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after briefly allowing commercial ships to pass through, escalating the standoff with the United States over its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The Guard warned that no vessel should venture from anchorages in the Persian Gulf or Sea of Oman, as any approach to the strait would signal collaboration with the enemy and invite targeting.
British maritime monitors confirmed Guard gunboats fired on a tanker mid-passage, with the crew unharmed, while two other ships reported similar attacks; India summoned Tehran’s ambassador after one of its oil carriers was struck.
This U-turn followed Friday’s nod to reopen the waterway alongside an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, but Iranian state media blamed U.S. failure to lift the blockade. “Iran agreed to allow a limited number of ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz according to agreements,” IRIB posted on X. “But U.S. did not fulfil their obligations. So, the Strait of Hormuz is now closed again and passage requires IRAN approval.”
IRGC spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari added that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, under strict management and control of the armed forces,” vowing to maintain curbs until the U.S. relents.
President Donald Trump dismissed the move as Iran “got a little cute,” insisting “they can’t blackmail us” during a White House event fast-tracking psychedelic drugs for mental health. He hinted at not extending the truce expiring Wednesday, tied to February’s U.S.-Israeli strikes, warning “we’ll have to start dropping bombs again” if needed.
Talks in Islamabad collapsed, and Tehran reviews U.S. proposals via Pakistan but demands realism, rejecting uranium handover claims.
The chokepoint, once carrying a fifth of global oil, has paralysed shipping, plunging prices below $90 a barrel and stranding vessels. A French peacekeeper died in Lebanon, blamed on Hezbollah, as the war claims thousands. Pope Leo XIV shunned debating Trump, prioritising Gospel peace.