The Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about a fifth of the world’s oil, has again become the chaotic center of the United States-Israeli war over Iran, as the standoff between Washington and Tehran complicates efforts to end the war.
Iran reversed its decision to reopen the strait on Saturday after US President Donald Trump said Washington would continue its blockade of Iranian ports and its military opened fire on a ship trying to pass through the waterway.
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Trump has refused to end the blockade until the deal is finalized. On Saturday he said there had been ‘very good’ discussions, but Washington would not be ‘blackmailed’.
After a short-lived increase in transit efforts on Saturday, ships in the Persian Gulf were once again halted after reports of ships coming under fire midway and being forced to turn back.
Their withdrawal restored the strait to its pre-armistice status, raising the risk of worsening the global energy crisis and increasing the possibility of renewed fighting.
Here is what you need to know:
What has Iran said?
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the strait would remain open to commercial vessels during the ceasefire that expires on April 22, “in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon”.
However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a clear change in Iran’s position, saying that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its “previous position” amid the blockade of Iranian ports.
The IRGC Joint Military Command said the US “continues to commit acts of piracy and maritime piracy under the cover of the so-called blockade”.
“For this reason, control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous position, and this strategic waterway is now under the strict management and control of the armed forces,” the statement quoted by Iranian broadcaster IRIB said.
It added, “Until the United States restores full freedom of navigation for ships sailing from Iran to their destinations and back, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and in its previous state.”
Speaker of Iran’s parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US, said it was “impossible” for others to cross the strategic strait without Iran’s consent. He described Washington’s blockade as “ignorant” and “stupid”, saying that if Tehran blocked its own ships it would not allow others to pass through the strait.
On Saturday he said that despite some progress towards an agreement, major differences remain.
What has America said?
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, the US President accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement, but also said that US negotiators would go to Islamabad, Pakistan on Monday to hammer out a deal.
“We are offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they accept it, because if they don’t, the United States will shut down every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran,” he said in the post.
Iran said on Sunday it was once again tightening its control over the waterway in response to the US blockade of Iranian ports that began on April 14. Tehran says the blockade violates the terms of the ceasefire.
Trump on Saturday said the US was having “very good talks” with Iran, but added that Tehran wanted to close the vital oil corridor again and could not blackmail the US with such a move.
What’s happening in the Straits right now?
Lloyd’s List, a maritime company, said traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was halted on Saturday after Iranian forces fired on several ships.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Agency said it had received reports of firing on a tanker by what it said were two gunboats belonging to the IRGC.
Meanwhile, India summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi and expressed deep concern that two Indian-flagged ships have come under fire in the strait, the government said.
Abbas Aslani, a senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, said both sides are “engaged in war rhetoric ahead of any potential escalation and military conflict”.
“It seems like they are pressuring each other to make concessions – and we are not there yet,” Aslani told Al Jazeera.
“There is speculation that perhaps the US is planning to engage in limited strikes against Iran, but Iran is saying it will retaliate strongly,” he said. “This could again end up in a broader conflict.”
What are the other sticking points between the US and Iran?
nuclear enrichment
The biggest controversy is about toughening the stance on Iran’s nuclear program, the main of which is Tehran’s nuclear enrichment capability.
On Friday, Trump said Washington would acquire Iran’s enriched uranium, calling it “nuclear dust” and referring to the 440 kilograms (970 pounds) buried at sites hit by US strikes last year. He reiterated on Truth Social that “the United States will get all the nuclear ‘dust'”.
Speaking to Reuters news agency, Trump said the US would work “at a good leisurely pace” with Iran and “start digging with big machinery” to recover the material.
Rebuking Trump, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said Washington has no justification for depriving Iran of its nuclear rights.
“Trump says Iran can’t use its nuclear rights, but doesn’t say for what crime. Who is he to deny a country its rights?”. Pezeshkian asked, according to the Iranian Student News Agency.
Israel and the US have repeatedly accused Iran of enriching uranium to develop nuclear weapons. But Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes and has respected its commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to Congress in March 2025 that the US “continues to assess that Iran is not making nuclear weapons and that Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei did not authorize the nuclear weapons program that was suspended in 2003.”
Khamenei was killed in American and Israeli attacks on 28 February. His son Mojtaba Khamenei has been named as his successor.
lebanon
A ceasefire in Lebanon was also a major demand of Iran before a two-week ceasefire was agreed between the US-Israeli side and Iran.
While a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is technically in place, it remains fragile. Israel has carried out attacks despite the ceasefire and its forces have created a Gaza-like “yellow line” to create a buffer zone.
The ceasefire was announced just days after Lebanon and Israel held their first face-to-face talks in decades in Washington. According to Iran’s FM Araghchi, the Strait of Hormuz was briefly reopened in response to the ceasefire being extended to Lebanon.
Hezbollah condemned the ceasefire agreement, calling it “an insult to our country” and “a slippery slope with no end in sight”.
“The ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities,” the Lebanon-based group said. “Because we do not trust this enemy, resistance fighters will remain in the field, ready to respond to any breach of aggression. The ceasefire cannot be unilateral; it must be mutual”.
Hezbollah is Tehran’s most powerful regional ally and a main pillar of the “Axis of Resistance” – a network of armed groups across the Middle East aligned with Iran against Israel, including Yemen’s Houthis and several factions in Iraq.
The group joined the fighting after Israeli forces killed Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei in its initial attacks on Tehran.
