Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again After Gunfire Incidents

Iran reimposed control over the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after a brief reopening failed to hold, as IRGC gunboats fired on at least one tanker and a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre. At least eight oil and gas tankers had crossed by 10:30am GMT after Tehran's Friday announcement, but Iranian state TV later declared that the strait had returned to its "previous status" under strict military management, citing the continuation of a US naval blockade of Iranian ports. The breakdown exposes the central deadlock: Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire with the US and Israel, declared on February 28, but Washington stated its port blockade would "remain in full force" until a final deal is complete. Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei both described the blockade as a ceasefire violation, while Tehran's demand to impose tolls on strait traffic was explicitly rejected by Trump. AXSMarine estimates 108 to 116 million barrels of crude are currently held on vessels inside the Gulf, with a full transit taking six to eight days after a genuine reopening and several weeks to reach Asian markets. With four days left on the ceasefire, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he may not extend it, and that bombing could resume. Key sticking points, uranium transfer and tolls, remain unresolved ahead of a planned US-China summit in Beijing in May.