Iran-US war latest: Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz again after Trump refuses to end US blockade

Oil tankers have begun moving through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports, but Iran has warned it will not remain open if the US blockade continues. Reuters reports that a group of four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers passed through Iranian waters south of Larak Island ⁠with more tankers following from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data.It the first major movement of ships in the vital route since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran seven weeks ago.Iran reopened the strait following a separate ceasefire agreement by Israel and Lebanon on Thursday.However, Iran’s speaker of parliament and senior negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned it "will not remain open" if the US blockade continued.It came after Donald Trump said on Friday that he ⁠may end the ceasefire with Iran unless ⁠a long-term ​deal to ⁠end the war ⁠is agreed by ​Wednesday."Maybe ⁠I won't ‌extend it, but the blockade (on ‌Iranian ports) is going ‌to remain," Trump told reporters ⁠on Air Force One on his way back to Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. "So you have ‌a blockade, ​and unfortunately ‌we ⁠have to start ⁠dropping bombs again."Cooper: 'Iran must allow global shipping to resume fully'Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday the Strait of ⁠Hormuz had yet to return to normal operations despite a ceasefire ⁠in ​the Iran ⁠war, and urged Tehran to allow ⁠global shipping to ​resume fully."We ⁠are at ‌a critical diplomatic moment with a ceasefire ‌now in place ... but ‌we don't yet have normal passage through ⁠the strait", Cooper told Reuters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya.She said the truce needed to ‌develop into a ​lasting peace, adding ‌that restoring ⁠shipping through the ⁠waterway was urgent for the global ‌economy.Dan Haygarth18 April 2026 09:14Vessels going through Strait of Hormuz, tracker showsScreenshot from MarineTraffic shows vessels in Strait of Hormuz on Saturday morning (MarineTraffic)Screenshot of MarineTraffic.com shows vessels around the Persian Gulf on Saturday morning (MarineTraffic)Dan Haygarth18 April 2026 09:13Dan Haygarth18 April 2026 08:53Strait of Hormuz "will not remain open" if the US blockade continues, Iran saysIran's speaker of parliament and senior negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on social media that the Strait of Hormuz "will not remain open" if the US blockade continued.Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had announced on social media that the strait was open for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ⁠10-day truce that was agreed on Thursday by Israel and Lebanon, which was invaded by Israel after the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group joined the fighting.Iran has said all ships crossing the strait must coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was not the case before the war.The Defence Ministry said in a statement quoted by state television that military vessels and ships linked to "hostile forces" - the U.S. and Israel - were still not permitted to pass.Dan Haygarth18 April 2026 08:31First major movement of tankers across strait since war began A convoy of oil tankers was crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the first major movement of ships in the crucial waterway since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran seven weeks ago, Reuters reports.The group of four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, was passing through Iranian waters south of Larak Island ⁠with more tankers following from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data.Donald Trump hours earlier had cited "some pretty good news" about Iran, declining to elaborate. He also said a ceasefire in the war may not be extended without a deal by Wednesday.Iran reopened the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of the world's oil trade, following a separate US-brokered ceasefire agreement on Thursday by Israel and Lebanon.Dan Haygarth18 April 2026 08:20Iranian leader threatens with closure of Strait of HormuzIran's speaker of parliament and senior negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on social media that the Strait of Hormuz "will not remain open" if the US blockade continued.Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi had announced on social media that the strait was ‌open for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the 10-day truce that was agreed on Thursday by Israel and Lebanon, ‌which was invaded by Israel after the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group joined the fighting.Vessel traffic data showed a group of around 20 ships, including container ships, bulk carriers and tankers, moving through the Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, but most ended up turning back, although it was not clear why. The group included three container ships operated by French shipping group CMA CGM, which declined to comment.A cruise ship that was stranded in Dubai, the Celestyal Discovery, however crossed the strait and was headed to Oman on Saturday ⁠morning, according to Marine Traffic vessel tracking data.Iran has said all ships crossing the strait must coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was not the case before the war. The Defence Ministry said in a statement quoted by state television that military vessels and ships linked to "hostile forces" - the US and Israel - were still not permitted to pass.Shipping companies have said they would require clarifications, including about the risk of mines, before vessels moved through the entry point to the Gulf.The US Navy warned seafarers that the mine threat in parts of the waterway was not fully understood and said they should consider avoiding the area. Namita Singh18 April 2026 08:20Uncertainty persists over peace talks as key issues remain unresolvedUncertainty persisted over the US-Iran peace talks with a lack of clarity about whether both sides would address Tehran's nuclear program, which has been a key sticking point in peace talks.Iran has defended its right to what it says is a civilian nuclear energy program.Trump told Reuters the US would remove Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV the material would not be transferred anywhere.Separately, a senior Iranian official ‌said Tehran hoped a preliminary agreement could be reached in the coming days.Oil prices fell about 10 per cent and global stocks jumped on Friday on the prospect of marine traffic resuming through the strait.After ​a video conference on Friday, more than a dozen countries said they were willing to join an international mission to protect shipping in the strait when conditions permit, Britain said.US president Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One before arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on 17 April 2026 after a two-day trip to Nevada and Arizona (AFP via Getty Images)A senior ‌Iranian official told Reuters there had been an agreement on unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian ⁠assets as part of the accord, without giving a timeline. Later on Friday, Mr Trump, who has repeatedly referred to a peace agreement as a "deal" or "transaction," told a rally in Arizona ⁠that "no money will exchange hands in any way, shape or form."At last weekend's talks, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.Two Iranian sources have said ‌there were signs of a compromise that could remove part of ​the stockpile.Mr Trump told Reuters the US might not act quickly. "We're going to go in with Iran, at ‌a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery," he said in ​a phone interview. "We'll bring it back to the United States."Despite Mr Trump's optimism, Iranian sources told Reuters that "gaps remained to be resolved" before a preliminary agreement, while senior clerics struck a defiant tone during Friday prayers."Our people do not negotiate while being humiliated," cleric Ahmad Khatami said. Namita Singh18 April 2026 08:18Petrol prices in UK finally drop for first time since start of Iran warUK fuel prices have fallen for the first time since the Middle East conflict began, offering a glimmer of relief to motorists.Petrol averaged 158.1p per litre on Thursday, a slight decrease from 158.3p the previous day. Diesel also saw a modest drop, from 191.5p to 191.2p over the same period.This marked an end to 46 consecutive days of rising costs. Read the full story:James Reynolds18 April 2026 08:00Unclear if any direct talks between US and Iran this weekendIran hours earlier had temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz following a separate US-brokered ceasefire agreement by Israel and Lebanon. But subsequent statements from both sides left uncertainty over how quickly shipping might return to normal through the ⁠global oil choke point."It seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran," Mr Trump told reporters while returning to Washington from Phoenix, Arizona, referring to US-Iran peace talks."We're negotiating over the weekend. I expect things to go well. Many of these things have been negotiated and agreed to."The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and that supersedes everything else."US president Donald Trump dances after speaking at a Turning Point USA event at the Dream City Church on 17 April 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona (Getty Images)But in sharp contrast, he said he may end the ceasefire with Iran unless a long-term deal to end the war is agreed before it expires on Wednesday, ⁠adding that a US blockade of Iranian ports would continue.Mr Trump has told Reuters there would probably be more direct talks between Iran and the US this weekend. Some diplomats said that was unlikely given the logistics of gathering in Islamabad, where the talks are ⁠expected to take place.There were no signs of preparations early on Saturday for talks in the Pakistani capital, where the highest-level US-Iran negotiations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended without agreement last weekend.The ​key Pakistani mediator, ⁠army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been holding talks in Tehran since ‌Wednesday. Namita Singh18 April 2026 07:40Pope says 'reject violence' while avoiding overly-political messagesPope Leo called on Cameroonians on Friday to reject violence and be generous with their neighbours during a Mass he led in the port city of Douala.“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” the pope urged, in an appeal made in English during a speech that was otherwise mostly in French."Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.”Leo avoided overtly political messages on Friday.The first U.S. pope has debuted a new, forceful speaking style on his Africa tour. In Yaounde on Thursday, he said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants", without naming anybody.Here’s how the pope has clashed with Donald Trump in recent days:James Reynolds18 April 2026 07:30