Tehran, 18 April 2026 — Iran has formally closed the Strait of Hormuz effective Saturday evening, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Command announced, declaring the closure will remain in force until Washington unconditionally lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The announcement, carried by Iran’s state-run IRIB broadcaster, marks one of the most consequential escalations in the Persian Gulf in recent memory, with immediate implications for global energy markets and international shipping lanes.
“As a result of the violation of the ceasefire regime, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed from the evening of today [Saturday], until the US lifts the naval blockade,” the IRGC Navy stated. The command further issued an unambiguous warning that any vessel attempting to approach the waterway would be subject to military strikes, with such an approach characterised as “cooperation with the enemy” — a direct reference to the United States.
The crisis traces its immediate origins to 13 April 2026, when the United States Navy commenced a comprehensive blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports situated on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway is of extraordinary global significance, accounting for approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies. Any sustained disruption to transit through the Strait is expected to send shockwaves through international commodity markets and place severe pressure on energy-dependent economies across Asia, Europe, and beyond.
Washington has maintained that non-Iranian vessels retain the right to transit the Strait of Hormuz freely, provided they refrain from paying any toll to Tehran. Iranian authorities, for their part, have not formally announced the imposition of such a toll, though discussions regarding the measure have been reported at the governmental level. The IRGC’s closure declaration effectively renders this distinction moot, as the waterway is now declared shut to all traffic pending a full reversal of American naval policy.
The Iranian Vice President also weighed in on the standoff on Saturday, asserting that control of the Strait of Hormuz would be secured “one way or another,” signalling the highest levels of the Iranian state are aligned behind the IRGC’s posture. The closure represents a direct invocation of Iran’s long-standing strategic doctrine, which has consistently identified the Strait as a lever of last resort in the face of external economic or military pressure.
The international community now faces a rapidly deteriorating situation in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, with no diplomatic resolution yet in sight and the spectre of direct confrontation between Iranian and American naval forces looming over the Persian Gulf.
Find more details at Sputnik International.