Strait of Hormuz closed again over US blockade, says Iran military command

A day after announcing its reopening, Iran’s military command said the Strait of Hormuz is closed again, citing the ongoing US naval blockade.

The Iranian government on Friday declared that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open for commercial ships for the remaining period of the ceasefire, ⁠in line with that in Lebanon. However, Trump also said that the American naval blockade on Iran would remain in place until Iran agreed to a broader deal, particularly on its nuclear programme.

On the nuclear front, Trump said, “The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers - No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,", implying that US B2 bomber strikes had buried uranium stockpiles which the US will now recover. He later added that if Iran did not agree to a deal, the US would resume bombing and “snatch the uranium in some other way.”


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Lying between Oman and Iran and linking the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond, the strait is 21 miles (33 km) ‌wide at its narrowest point, ⁠with a shipping lane ⁠just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction.

Read more: Trump proposes, Iran disposes: Hormuz is now a battlefield of claims

Perhaps the world's most important energy shipping channel, the waterway is about 104 miles (167 km) long.

Following through on an old threat, Tehran effectively closed the strait after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28. During the standoff over the strait, Iran threatened to charge fees on ships passing through. No such unilateral move to demand fees to traverse a strait has been made in modern history, shipping industry officials said, while U.S. President Donald Trump has said free traffic of oil through the strait must be part of any peace deal.

Why Hormuz matters

About a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies normally pass through the strait, which is the only sea exit for the fuels from key exporting countries.

OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the waterway.

Qatar, among the world's biggest liquefied natural gas exporters, sends almost all of its LNG through the strait, while analytics firm Kpler ⁠estimates about 33% ‌of the world’s fertilisers, including sulphur and ammonia, pass via the strait.

Traffic has dropped by 97% since the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, reported Reuters quoting the United Nations.