Iran said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint through which roughly one fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes — would not fully reopen and remained under "strict control" of its armed forces. The statement, from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command Headquarters, came after Donald Trump said the US would maintain its Navy blockade of Iranian ports. The US president warned Iran not to "blackmail" the US and claimed ceasefire talks were "going actually along very well".

Two incidents underlined how fragile traffic in the strait has become. UK Maritime Trade Operations said an Indian-owned crude oil tanker, the Sanmar Herald, was fired on by two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gunboats despite having received clearance to transit; the ship turned back and seafarers were heard shouting "Mayday" on open radio. Separately, a container ship operated by France's CMA-CGM was struck, damaging some containers without triggering a fire. Most other vessels turned back into the Gulf; only a handful of ships with Middle Eastern or Chinese ownership made it through overnight. A 14-day US–Iran ceasefire expires late Tuesday.

Trump claimed on Friday that Iran had agreed to suspend its nuclear programme indefinitely and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium — a claim Iranian officials, including top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, flatly denied. Oil and gas prices had fallen on Friday on optimism about a full reopening; Saturday's reversal reinstates the risk premium. Source: Financial Times, 18 April 2026, Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Andrew England, Alice Hancock and James Politi.