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, broadcast by Iran’s state-run IRIB network, marks one of the most consequential escalations in the Persian Gulf in decades, with immediate ramifications for global energy markets and international shipping.
“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, on the grounds that such movement would constitute “cooperation with the enemy” — a direct reference to the United States.
The crisis was precipitated on 13 April 2026, when the US Navy initiated a comprehensive blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports situated on both flanks of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway is the conduit for approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies, rendering its closure a potential shock of historic proportions to global energy supply chains.
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 have not formally announced the imposition of such a toll, though discussions regarding the measure have been reported at senior governmental levels. The IRGC’s invocation of a “ceasefire violation” as the legal and political justification for the closure signals Tehran’s position that the US blockade itself constitutes an act of aggression incompatible with any prior diplomatic understanding.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, if sustained, would represent an unprecedented disruption to global energy logistics, affecting oil-importing nations across Asia, Europe, and beyond, and placing enormous pressure on international actors to broker a de-escalation between Washington and Tehran. Iran’s Vice President has separately stated that control of the Hormuz will be “secured one way or another,” underscoring the depth of Tehran’s resolve in the standoff.
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