Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz,accusing US of violating deal to reopen it

India summons Iran envoy over incident of firing at ships

PTI, April 18, 2026, Cairo/New Delhi: Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway on Saturday after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping.

Iran's joint military command said on Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces." It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. The announcement came the morning after US President Donald Trump said that even after Iran announced the strait's reopening on Friday, the American blockade "will remain in full force" until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear programme.

The conflict over the chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after oil prices began to fall again on Friday on hopes the US and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement. Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. But after Trump said the blockade would continue, top Iranian officials said his announcement violated last week's ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US and warned the strait would not stay open if the US blockade remained in effect.

Meanwhile, India on Saturday summoned Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali after two Indian vessels had to reverse course in the Strait of Hormuz following an incident of firing by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, authoritative sources said.

A strong protest was lodged with the ambassador over the incident, they said. There is no official word yet on summoning Fathali to the External Affairs Ministry. Several commercial vessels tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz after Iran on Friday announced that it has opened the waterway for commercial traffic.

A vessel tracker reported that two Indian vessels had to reverse course in the Strait of Hormuz following reports of gunfire from Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The vessels include an Indian-flagged super tanker, carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil, it said.