Strait of Hormuz Closed — Again — After Being Opened, Blockaded, Reopened, and Re-Closed

On April 18, 2026, Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again. The reason: the United States refused to lift its own naval blockade of the strait. Iran's Supreme National Security Council called the U.S. blockade a "violation of the ceasefire" and said Iran would prevent "any conditional and limited reopening." Ships were fired upon — Iranian gunboats targeted an Indian-flagged supertanker (the VLCC Sanmar Herald), and a container ship was hit by a rocket off the coast of Oman.

This closure happened one day after Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi declared the strait open to all shipping.

To understand how we got here, trace the full timeline:

1. Feb 28: U.S. and Israel launch surprise strikes on Iran during active peace negotiations. Kill supreme leader Khamenei. No intelligence of imminent threat.
2. March 2: Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz to "unfriendly nations" in retaliation. 20% of the world's oil supply disrupted.
3. March 19: U.S. begins aerial campaign specifically to reopen the strait.
4. March 21 – April 7: Trump issues five successive deadlines for Iran to reopen the strait. All pass without compliance. Rhetoric escalates from demands to calling Iranians "animals" to threatening to end "a whole civilization."
5. April 7: Ceasefire agreed. Strait supposed to reopen. Trump declares victory.
6. April 8: Israel kills 254 in Lebanon within hours of the ceasefire. Iran suspends Hormuz deal.
7. Late March – early April: Iran begins letting some ships through for tolls of up to $2 million per vessel, while exporting 1.85 million barrels of its own crude per day. The strait is partially open — on Iran's terms.
8. April 12: Peace talks collapse in Islamabad after 21 hours. Vance: "They have chosen not to accept our terms."
9. April 12: Trump orders U.S. Navy to blockade the strait himself — "any and all ships," in both directions. The country that started a war to reopen the strait is now closing it.
10. April 13: U.S. blockade begins at 10:00 AM ET. Applies to ships going to/from Iran.
11. April 17: Iran declares the strait open to all shipping.
12. April 18: Iran closes the strait again because the U.S. won't lift its blockade. Ships attacked.

In seven weeks, the Strait of Hormuz has been:

• Closed by Iran (retaliation for U.S. strikes)
• Partially opened by Iran (tolls)
• Supposed to reopen (ceasefire)
• Re-closed by Iran (Israel broke ceasefire)
• Blockaded by the United States (peace talks collapsed)
• Declared open by Iran (April 17)
• Closed again by Iran (April 18, because U.S. blockade continues)

Seven status changes in 49 days. Twenty percent of the world's oil supply passes through a chokepoint whose status changes faster than weather forecasts.

Iran's position, stated by the Supreme National Security Council: the strait remains under Iranian control until the war fully ends. Ships must use Iran-designated routes, pay transit fees, and obtain Iranian transit certificates. The U.S. naval blockade makes this impossible, so Iran has re-closed the strait until the blockade lifts.

The U.S. position: the blockade remains until Iran opens the strait unconditionally. Iran won't open unconditionally while the U.S. blockades. The U.S. won't lift the blockade while Iran doesn't open. This is a deadlock masquerading as a policy.

The IEA had already called this the worst energy crisis since "1973, 1979, and 2002 combined" — weeks ago, before the U.S. added its own blockade on top of Iran's closure. Gas prices, shipping rates, and insurance premiums for the region have been in freefall and recovery and freefall again, tracking the strait's open-closed-open-closed status.

None of this had to happen. There was no threat. Peace talks were active. A breakthrough was within reach. A 79-year-old president started a war because he was told it'd be quick, and the world's most important shipping chokepoint has been in chaos ever since — with both sides now blockading it simultaneously, ships being fired upon, and nobody able to say with confidence whether it's open or closed on any given day.