Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz again due to the US blockade of its ports. US-Israel war over Iran news

Iranian gunmen are reported to have fired on a tanker in the strait after Tehran said it was closing the waterway until the US lifts a blockade of its ports.

Iran says it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, calling the decision a response to the United States’ continued blockade of its ports.

The Iranian military said on Saturday that control of the strategic waterway, through which 20 per cent of global oil flows, has “returned to its previous position”, amid reports that Iranian gunmen fired on a merchant ship as it attempted to cross.

The strait was closed hours after reopening following a US-brokered 10-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, with more than a dozen commercial ships passing through the waterway.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Saturday, quoted by Iranian media, that the ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports represents “actpiracy” and “sea piracy,” adding that control of Hormuz is “under the strict management and control of the armed forces.”ces”.

“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,” it said.

By 10:30 GMT on Saturday, at least eight oil and gas tankers had crossed the strait, but at least several more ships had begun to exit the gulf, the AFP news agency reported.

The turmoil over the strait came a day after US President Donald Trump cast doubt on his optimism that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran was “very close”.

Trump celebrated the reopening of the strait on Friday but warned that U.S. attacks would resume unless Iran agreed to a deal, including on its nuclear programme.

“I probably wouldn’t pursue it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One about the temporary ceasefire agreement. “Then you’ll have a blockade, and unfortunately we’ll have to start bombing again.”

When asked about the possibility of reaching an agreement within this short time frame, Trump responded, “I think it’s going to happen.”

But Iran says no date has been agreed for a second round of peace talks and accuses the US of “betraying” diplomacy in all talks.

According to John-Paul Rodrigue, a maritime shipping expert at Texas A&M University, conflicting and varying reports about the strait and how freely ships can transit through it have prevented many ships from transiting.

“Since the announcement, ships have been attempting to transit, but it seems many of them are turning back because the situation is unclear,” Rodrigue told Al Jazeera. “All sides are releasing contradictory information.”

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi stated that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is characterised by uncertainty.

He said, “Iran is seeking a comprehensive cessation of hostilities across the region, security assurances, sanctions relief, the freeing of frozen assets, regional ties, and, above all, Iran’s nuclear dossier and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.”

However, at present, uncertainty prevails. The delicate situation makes it difficult to talk about the possibility of successful negotiations in the future.”