Iran signals Strait of Hormuz may close again as US maintains naval blockade despite ‘full passage’ claims

Key developments came this weekend in the high-stakes dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic global oil transit chokepoint, as Iran warned the waterway could close again if the ongoing US naval blockade continues, following conflicting announcements about its status.

On April 18, 2026, Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf issued a stark public warning that undermined earlier declarations of free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on the social platform X, Ghalibaf wrote that any passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be conducted based on the designated route with Iranian authorization.

He also suggested whether the strait is open or closed and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not by social media.


He added that “with the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” signaling a direct challenge to the United States’ military posture.

Just one day earlier, on April 17, 2026, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared the Strait “completely open” for commercial shipping for the remaining duration of a temporary ceasefire tied to a US-brokered 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon. In an X post, he wrote:

"In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran."

US response: Blockade still in full force

Following Iran’s declaration, US President Donald Trump publicly welcomed the news that the Strait was open but issued a clear caveat. On social media he posted:

“THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE, BUT THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE. THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED.”

The backdrop to these competing statements is a United States-enforced naval blockade announced in mid-April after peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan failed to end the broader conflict between Washington and Tehran.

The blockade aims to interdict vessels entering or exiting Iranian ports deemed in violation of US sanctions, and US Central Command warned that ships breaching the blockade could be “intercepted, diverted, and captured”, although freedom of navigation for vessels not calling at Iranian ports was technically preserved.

Iran denounced the blockade as illegal, with Iranian Defense Ministry officials and Foreign Ministry spokespeople asserting that Iran was “not blockadable” and urging ships to ignore US declarations.

Iran’s April 17 announcement triggered a substantial market response: oil prices fell sharply, at times below $90 per barrel, as traders reacted to the prospect of restored crude flows through Hormuz. Equity markets also rallied on optimism that reduced energy risk could ease global inflationary pressures.
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