Iran shuts Strait of Hormuz again over U.S. blockade
Iran has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, less than 24 hours after reopening it, citing the United States’ continued blockade of its ports.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Saturday that the strategic route for crude oil shipment had “returned to its previous condition” and would be controlled by the armed forces.
According to reports, a merchant vessel was fired upon by Iranian gunboats as it attempted to pass.
Nearly a dozen commercial ships and oil tankers had transited through the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared it “completely open” on Friday, following a 10-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon.
However, shortly after the reopening, President Donald Trump insisted that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of the strait would “remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100 per cent complete.”
In its response, the Iranian military said it amounted to “acts of piracy and maritime theft” and maintained that the control of the waterway is “under the strict management and control of the armed forces.”
“Until the U.S. restores full freedom of navigation for vessels travelling from Iran to their destinations and back, the status of the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and in its previous condition,” the IRGC declared.
By Saturday morning, at least eight vessels had travelled through the waterway, and many had also turned back, according to the AFP news agency.
Mr Trump had said on Friday that the peace deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was “very close.”
He, however, warned that military actions on the Islamic Republic could resume should it fail to agree to a deal, including giving up its nuclear programme, by the end of the two-week ceasefire agreement on Wednesday, April 22.
“Maybe I won’t extend it,” the president told reporters on board Air Force One. “So you’ll have a blockade, and unfortunately, we’ll have to start dropping bombs again.”
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