Donald Trump earlier vowed to maintain the blockade of Iranian ports until a peace deal is reached
Published 18 Apr, 2026 09:30
| Updated 18 Apr, 2026 14:04
The British oil tanker ‘Stena Impero’ near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on July 21, 2019. © Global Look Press/Morteza Akhoundi/ISNA/Handout via Xinhua
The Iranian military has once again closed free passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, citing what it described as US ‘piracy.’
On Friday, Tehran initially declared the waterway completely open for commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, prompting a fall in oil prices on hopes of de-escalation.
However, while US President Donald Trump praised the news, he said that the US blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force” until a peace deal is reached.
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According to multiple media reports, the US has presented several demands to Iran, including the handing over of its enriched uranium stockpile. While Trump claimed that Tehran had “agreed to everything,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reiterated that the Islamic Republic would not give up the stockpile, which he described as “as sacred as Iranian soil.”
Key developments:
• Trump has suggested that he would not extend the ceasefire with Iran and could resume attacks if the peace talks do not produce the desired result by Wednesday.
• One French peacekeeper has been killed, and three others injured in southern Lebanon, President Emmanuel Macron has said, adding that Hezbollah was the most likely culprit.
• At least three commercial ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one sustaining some damage, according to Axios.
• Hezbollah said it is “not concerned” with Lebanon’s talks with the US, suggesting that Beirut is set to cave in to Washington’s demands. Israel insists the current truce does not apply to “immediate threats from terrorists.”
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
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18 April 2026
15:22 GMT
Iran’s response to Trump’s “worthless tweets” will be on the battlefield, Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says.
“Our response, is not in words, but in the ‘glory of the field’,” he warns, claiming that Iran has broken the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and doubled or tripled its oil exports.
سیاستهای ترامپ آمیزهای از توهم و لفاظیهای متناقض و توییت های او بی ارزش است. پاسخ ما اما نه در کلام، که در "شکوه میدان" است؛ شکستن محاصره ادعایی دریایی و جهش دو تا سه برابری صادرات نفت درهمین مدت، نشانه پیروزی قاطع ایران است. اقتدار این ملت با هذیانگویی خدشهدار نخواهد شد.
— محمدرضا عارف (@ir_aref) April 18, 2026
- 14:59 GMT
The Iranian Navy is broadcasting a radio message to ships in the Strait of Hormuz, warning them that the key waterway is again closed, according to Reuters.
“Attention all ships, regarding the failure of the US government to fulfill its commitment in the negotiation, Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz completely closed again. No vessel of any type or nationality is allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” the radio message reportedly says.
- 14:40 GMT
Russia stands ready to assist Iran in moving its enriched uranium stockpile out of the country, Aleksey Likhachev, CEO of Russian state nuclear firm Rosatom has said.
“Rosatom is ready to assist with the removal of uranium from Iran and is closely monitoring the US-Iranian negotiations,” he told the industry newspaper ‘Strana Rosatom.’
Moscow has repeatedly offered to help in the past, while the US has pushed to take the material for itself.
Tehran is estimated to have over 400kg of uranium enriched to 60% in its stockpiles, according to IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. Weapons-grade uranium is typically enriched to 90%.
IAEA chief Rafael Gross (L) chats to Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev (R) after talks in Moscow, Russia, March 13, 2026 © Kirill Zykov/RIA Novosti
- 13:39 GMT
Azizi claimed that Iran scored a “great achievement” by forcing the US to evacuate personnel from its Gulf bases. «America’s prestige has been broken. For years, the Americans promised the countries of the region that they would provide security… In the end, they could not even secure their own security, and they fled,” he said.
- 13:32 GMT
The US must accept that the Strait of Hormuz is “not a place for bullying, nor a place for arrogance,” Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of Iran’s National Security Commission, has warned, urging Washington to “show courtesy, show respect, and then present its requests.”
- 13:31 GMT
At least three commercial ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one sustaining some damage, an unnamed US official told Axios. The report claimed that one of the attacked ships had received permission to enter the chokepoint.
- 13:19 GMT
Hezbollah is “not concerned with the negotiations being conducted” by Lebanon, which is essentially set on caving in to the US, Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, has told a press conference in Beirut.
- 13:12 GMT
The American Navy has turned away a total of 23 ships under the blockade of Iranian ports and coast, US Central Command has said.
Littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) patrols the Arabian Sea during the U.S. blockade. Since commencement of the blockade, 23 ships have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around. American forces are enforcing a maritime blockade against ships entering or… pic.twitter.com/PMIBOoeJXS
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 18, 2026
- 13:04 GMT
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed the death of a French servicemember, adding that of the three others injured, two have received grave wounds.
It said that the incident occurred as a UNIFIL patrol was clearing explosives along a road in the village of Ghanduriyah, more than 20km from the Israeli border, but they came under “small-arms fire from non-state-actors.”
This morning, a UNIFIL patrol clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghanduriyah to re-establish links with isolated UNIFIL positions came under small-arms fire from non-state-actors.
— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) April 18, 2026
- 12:52 GMT
One French soldier was killed and three others wounded during an attack in Lebanon, President Emmanuel Macron has said.
“Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,” he said, demanding that the Lebanese authorities arrest the perpetrators.
Le Sergent-chef Florian Montorio du 17eme régiment du génie parachutiste de Montauban est tombé ce matin au sud-Liban lors d’une attaque contre la FINUL. Trois de ses frères d’armes sont blessés et ont été évacués. La Nation s’incline avec respect…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 18, 2026
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18 April 2026
09:30 GMT
While Iran allowed “a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a managed manner,” the US violated its part of the agreement and now “continues its piracy and maritime theft under the pretext of a so-called ‘siege,’” a spokesman for the Iranian military has said.
“For this reason, control over the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic strait is under the strict management and control of the Armed Forces,” he said, adding that the regime would be maintained as long as the US upholds the blockade of Iranian ports.
- 09:38 GMT
At least five more Iran-linked tankers are passing through the Strait of Hormuz despite the US blockade, Fars News agency has reported, citing tracking data.
- 09:51 GMT
Iranian authorities have reopened six airports, including Mehrabad, Imam Khomeini, Mashhad, Birjand, Gorgan, and Zahedan airports, the country’s Airline Association has said.
- 10:07 GMT
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has insisted that it was Tehran that closed the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the US “made safe and secure maritime traffic through the waterway impossible.”
He added that Iran has every right to restrict passage due to the threat to national security.
- 10:26 GMT
The IDF will impose a ‘yellow line’ in Lebanon and bar people from areas occupied by the Israeli military, CNN reports, citing officials.
According to the report, the IDF “is authorized to continue destroying terrorist infrastructures there even during the ceasefire.”
- 10:41 GMT
Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of Iran’s National Security Commission, has said that Tehran had warned the US over the consequences of the continued blockade, mockingly adding that Washington could “now ENJOY the Strait of Hormuz returning to the status quo.”
We warned you, but you ignored it.Now ENJOY the Strait of Hormuz returning to the status quo :)) https://t.co/ftjqrSXRa1
— ابراهیم عزیزی (@Ebrahimazizi33) April 18, 2026
- 11:10 GMT
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has said that Trump’s messaging over the Strait of Hormuz has been “kind of confusing.” He added, as cited by CNN, that the current ceasefire could be extended only “if the other side just accepts negotiat[ing] on equal footing and just puts aside [its] maximalist position.”
- 11:41 GMT
The IDF has reported several incidents of ceasefire violation in Lebanon, accusing “terrorists” – who it said pose an “immediate threat” – of approaching the Israeli-mandated Yellow Line in the southern part of the country.
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Netanyahu ‘alarmed’ by Trump’s Lebanon move – Axios“Following their identification, and in order to remove the threat, the Israeli Air Force, together with ground forces, conducted precise strikes against the terrorists,” the statement read.
The IDF insisted that the attack was in self-defense, stressing that actions aimed at removing immediate threats are not restricted by the ceasefire.
- 11:42 GMT
Egypt and Pakistan are pushing “very hard” for the US and Iran to reach a final agreement, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has said, adding that he hopes a peace deal will be achieved “in the coming days.”
- 11:55 GMT
The UK Maritime Trade Operations claims that two Iranian gunboats fired on an unnamed tanker in the middle of the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported.
UKMTO WARNING 037-26 Click here to view the full Warning⤵️https://t.co/3Fxxl1HHUA#MaritimeSecurity#Marsecpic.twitter.com/SCG3TglveA
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) April 18, 2026
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