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, 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, when the US Navy initiated a comprehensive blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports situated on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is of immense global consequence, serving as the transit corridor for approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies. Washington has maintained that non-Iranian vessels retain the right to transit the Strait 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 to that effect have been reported at senior governmental levels.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — even temporarily — carries profound implications for global energy markets, international shipping lanes, and the broader geopolitical architecture of the Persian Gulf region. Nations across the Global South that depend on uninterrupted energy flows through the waterway now face acute uncertainty as the confrontation between the two powers intensifies with no diplomatic resolution in sight. Iran’s Vice President has separately stated that control of the Hormuz will be “secured one way or another,” signalling Tehran’s firm resolve to defend its sovereign maritime interests against what it characterises as an illegal act of economic warfare.
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