Iran has reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and has warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. The escalating standoff over the critical chokepoint threatens to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy. It could also push the two countries toward renewed conflict even as mediators have expressed confidence a new deal was within reach. Iranian authorities said late Saturday that the strait is closed until the U.S. blockade is lifted.
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Iran has doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. Mediators are scrambling to extend the ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday. The dueling blockades have complicated Pakistani-led mediation attempts and raised questions about whether the two-week truce can be extended. Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf criticized the U.S. blockade as a “naive decision made out of ignorance." He said Iran still seeks peace despite deep-seated distrust of the United States.
Iran has reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and fired on a tanker attempting to pass the waterway. It said it will continue blocking transit as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. The announcement Saturday came after U.S. President Donald Trump said the blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S. that includes its nuclear program. Tehran had reopened the strait Friday to commercial vessels. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait. Pakistani officials say the United States and Iran are moving closer to a deal ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline.
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A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point flies over an overturned vessel offshore Saipan, Saturday, April 18, 2026, while searching for a missing vessel, the Mariana, that experienced an engine failure April 15. (U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Barbers Point via AP)
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Iran now says the Strait of Hormuz is fully closed until the end of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. Its Revolutionary Guard navy said Saturday night that any vessel "approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered as cooperation with the enemy” and be targeted. Earlier Saturday, Iran fired on at least two ships trying to transit the crucial waterway. The developments come after the United States said it would continue its blockade. Meanwhile, Pakistani mediators are working to organize new negotiations between the countries. But Iran's deputy foreign minister tells the AP that Tehran isn't ready for new face-to-face talks.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has hosted two events in Barcelona to rally progressive leaders from around the world who fear for a rules-based world order. Sánchez and other attendees are outspoken critics of U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump chose Saturday to lash out on social media again at Sánchez, who has faced Trump’s scorn for not allowing the U.S. to use jointly operated military bases in Spain for operations related to the Iran war and for refusing to raise military spending. Democrats U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were both present alongside the leaders of Brazil, South Africa, and high-ranking officials of other left-leaning governments.
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French President Emmanuel Macron says a French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack on U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. Macron identified the soldier as Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio from the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment. He added that three of Montorio’s comrades were wounded and evacuated. He said that Hezbollah is likely responsible for the attack. Macron demanded that Lebanese authorities arrest those responsible and work with UNIFIL, the U.N. mission in southern Lebanon. Macron expressed respect and support for the families of the soldiers and all military personnel in Lebanon.
Marcus Luttrell, a retired U.S. Navy Seal, and his brother, Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, listen to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)