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 waterway shut until Washington unconditionally lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The announcement, carried by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, marks one of the most consequential escalations in the Persian Gulf in decades, with immediate ramifications for global energy markets.
“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 regarded as acting in “cooperation with the enemy” — a designation that carries the explicit threat of military strikes.
The closure follows a naval blockade imposed by the United States on 13 April, under which the US Navy began intercepting all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington has maintained that non-Iranian vessels remain free to transit the strait, provided they refrain from paying any toll to Tehran. Iranian authorities have not formally announced the imposition of such a toll, though discussions to that effect have been reported at senior governmental levels.
The strategic gravity of the situation cannot be overstated. The Strait of Hormuz serves as the world’s single most critical maritime chokepoint, channelling approximately 20 per cent of global oil, petroleum product, and liquefied natural gas supplies. A sustained closure would send shockwaves through international energy markets, disrupt supply chains across Asia, Europe, and beyond, and place enormous pressure on nations across the Global South that depend on affordable hydrocarbon imports for economic stability.
Iran’s Vice President had earlier signalled Tehran’s resolve, stating that control of the Hormuz would be “secured one way or another” — a remark now given operational weight by the IRGC’s formal closure declaration. The move represents Tehran’s most direct leverage in the escalating standoff, transforming a bilateral dispute into a crisis with global economic consequences.
The international community, including major oil-importing nations in Asia and Africa, faces an urgent imperative to press for de-escalation, as the unilateral imposition of a naval blockade by the United States — and Iran’s retaliatory closure — threatens to destabilise energy security for billions of people far removed from the immediate theatre of confrontation.
Find more details at Sputnik International.