How 24 hours of whiplash over the Strait of Hormuz unfolded
How 24 hours of whiplash over the Strait of Hormuz unfolded
Analysis by Tim Lister, Max Saltman, CNNSat, April 18, 2026 at 9:56 PM UTC
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The sun rises behind tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, on Saturday, April 18. - Asghar Besharati/AP
What a difference a day makes. This time yesterday, one might have been forgiven for thinking more ships might start squeezing through the Strait of Hormuz as the US-Iran ceasefire approaches its expiry date.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump was effusive in welcoming an announcement from Tehran that the Strait of Hormuz was “fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you!”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had suggested on X that the strait would be fully open again, while adding that Iran would coordinate shipping routes. The post sent the price of crude oil down 10 percent in a matter of hours, but aged poorly, with semi-official Iranian outlet Tasnim criticizing Araghchi for creating “various ambiguities about the conditions for passage, its details, and its mechanisms.”
Then Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue “in full force” until the “transaction” with Iran is complete.
Now, 24 hours later, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it has blocked the strait once more, citing the continued US blockade of Iranian ports.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any offending vessel will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement.
After a brief hope that one of the world’s busiest waterways might reopen, United States and Iran appear to agree on very little beyond – maybe - being prepared to meet again.
On Saturday, the Iranian military reiterated that transits for commercial shipping would be tightly restricted so long as the US blockade continued. To reinforce the point, two vessels were fired upon some 20 miles off the coast of Oman, with Iranian gunboats responsible for the first attack, according to the tanker’s captain.
And a rare statement attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran’s “valiant Navy stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.” Khamenei has not been seen in the six weeks since he was chosen to succeed his father.
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Trump insisted again on Saturday that talks with Iran are going very well, but that the US would not give in to blackmail. Iran’s powerful national security council said that Tehran was reviewing “new proposals” from the US but was yet to respond.
Besides navigation through the strait, the two sides remain far apart on the surrender and removal of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, and the ongoing enrichment program.
The ceasefire expires in just three days. Trump has said that he doesn’t know whether it will be extended.
“Maybe I won’t extend it, so you’ll have a blockade and unfortunately we’ll have to start dropping bombs again,” he said Friday.
The Iranian regime does not seem to be in the mood to compromise. A senior military officer, General Mohammed Naqdi, said Saturday that “if the war starts again, we will use missiles whose production date is May 2026.”
“We can stop oil production, but we did not want to create disturbances for the world, so we acted patiently,” he said.
Though Iranian sources have told CNN they expected a second round of talks to be held the coming week, the US still has not publicly confirmed its plans as the ceasefire approaches its end on April 21.
There are signs of discussions happening furiously behind the scenes, however. In Washington on Saturday afternoon, top US officials were seen arriving at the White House, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Source: “AOL Breaking”
