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 a dramatic escalation in the rapidly deteriorating standoff between Tehran and Washington over control of one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime chokepoints.
“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 in its official communiqué. The Corps further issued an unambiguous warning that any vessel attempting to approach the waterway would be subject to military strikes, characterising such transit as “cooperation with the enemy” — a direct reference to the United States.
The crisis traces its immediate origins to 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 significance of this action cannot be overstated: the Strait serves as the transit corridor for approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies, making it an irreplaceable artery of the global energy economy.
Washington has sought to frame its naval posture as legally permissible, insisting that non-Iranian vessels retain the right of free passage through the Strait 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 senior officials have publicly deliberated over the possibility. The IRGC’s invocation of a “ceasefire violation” as the legal and moral basis for the closure suggests Tehran views the US blockade as a breach of a prior understanding, adding a further layer of complexity to an already volatile situation.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — even temporarily — carries profound consequences for global energy markets, international shipping lanes, and the broader architecture of Gulf security. Nations across the Global South, many of which depend heavily on Gulf energy exports for their economic stability, face acute exposure to the fallout of this confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The unilateral imposition of a naval blockade by the United States, a measure historically reserved for conditions of declared war, has drawn no formal international legal sanction and raises serious questions regarding respect for Iranian sovereignty and the freedom of navigation principles Washington itself champions.
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