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Hormuz reversals and closures
Iran reimposed “strict control” over the Strait of Hormuz after briefly reopening it, reversing a declaration a day earlier that the vital shipping lane was fully open, as the standoff escalated with the United States pressing ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
“Transformations in the Strait of Hormuz have once again made it one of the region's most sensitive crisis hotspots”
NBC News reported that Iran said it had reimposed “strict control” over the strait, reversing its declaration that the shipping lane was fully open, citing the ongoing U.S. naval blockade.
PBS, citing Associated Press, said the strait was closed until the U.S. blockade is lifted, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy warning that “no vessel should make any movement from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered as cooperation with the enemy” and be targeted.
The Straits Times reported that Iran’s military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on April 18, hours after reopening it, and said Iranian state TV reported that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status” and “is under strict management and control of the armed forces.”
The Straits Times reported that by 1030 GMT on April 18, “no fewer than eight oil and gas tankers had crossed the strait,” while “at least as many ships appeared to have turned back.”
A separate report in the Western Alternative said “at least 21 vessels” aborted Hormuz transit attempts, with “at least 15” of them tankers trapped in the region since conflict began on February 28, 2026.
The same Western Alternative article said the Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint where “approximately 21% of global petroleum passing through this narrow waterway annually,” and described the strait’s narrowest point as “only 33 nautical miles” with “shipping channels restricted to 2-nautical-mile-wide corridors in each direction.”
Gunfire, projectiles, and detours
As Iran tightened control, multiple reports described gunfire and projectile incidents involving ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
PBS said Revolutionary Guard gunboats opened fire on a tanker and an unknown projectile hit a container vessel, damaging some containers, according to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center.
BBC reported that the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a cruise ship located three nautical miles off the east coast of Oman reported seeing “a splash in close proximity,” after reports of attacks on a tanker and a container ship off the coast of Oman.
The Indian Express said UKMTO reported that “two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” and said the tanker and its crew were reported safe, though the vessel was not identified.
The Times of India described two India-flagged vessels, Sanmar Herald and Jag Arnav, as coming under fire, saying gunshots forced the ships to reverse their course and prompting a sudden U-turn, while UKMTO said two gunboats linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on a tanker in the strait.
Kashmir Life said Reuters reported that “at least two merchant vessels also came under fire while attempting to transit the strait on Saturday,” and described an Indian supertanker carrying around two million barrels of Iraqi crude that abruptly turned back.
The Straits Times said UKMTO reported at 0920 GMT that a tanker north-east of Oman was approached by two Iranian Revolutionary Guards ships without radio warning and was fired upon, and that the ship and crew were safe and authorities were investigating.
The BBC Verify segment said two Indian-flagged vessels, JAG ARNAV and SANMAR HERALD, received orders to change their travel routes after being denied access by IRGC officials.
Tolls, permits, and priorities
Beyond closures and attacks, Iranian officials and reporting described a system of prioritization, fees, and transit certificates tied to access through the Strait of Hormuz.
“On Friday, Iran signaled it could close the Strait of Hormuz if the U”
The Times of Israel said a senior Iranian official told CNN that Iran would “give priority” to vessels paying a toll to transit the strait, explaining that “Given the limitation on the number of vessels that will be allowed to pass,” Iran decided to prioritize those that “respond more quickly to the new Strait of Hormuz protocols and pay the costs of security and safety services.”
The same report said vessels that do not pay would have their transit “postponed,” and it added that Iran reimposed restrictions on passage through the strait on Saturday.
BBC said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council stated that Tehran would enforce monitoring and control over transit through the Strait of Hormuz until the definitive end of the war, describing that it would be done by collecting full information from vessels passing through, issuing transit certificates, and requiring payment of service fees for “security, safety, and environmental protection services.”
BBC also quoted the SNSC statement that “as long as the enemy intends to disrupt the passage of vessels and apply its naval blockade, Iran will view that as a violation of the ceasefire and prevent the conditional and limited reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The Indian Express reported that Trump dismissed Iran’s proposal to impose tolls, saying “Nope. No way. No. Nope… No, they’re not going to be tolls.”
NBC News reported that the head of Iran's National Security Commission said closing the Strait of Hormuz was a response to “America's untrustworthiness,” and that Iran reversed its declaration that the strait was fully open, citing the ongoing U.S. naval blockade.
The Straits Times said the to-ing and fro-ing over the strait cast doubt on Trump’s optimism the day before that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was “very close”.
Diplomacy, mediation, and deadlines
Diplomatic efforts continued even as Iran and the United States traded public warnings and tightened maritime control, with multiple reports pointing to negotiations and a looming ceasefire deadline.
NBC News said Iranian officials said new U.S. proposals were under review, but that there was still no date set for the next round of negotiations as both sides traded public warnings.
The BBC report quoted Iran’s Supreme National Security Council saying new proposals had been put forward by the U.S., which Tehran was “currently reviewing and has not yet responded to,” and it also said Tehran was “determined to enforce monitoring and control over transit through the Strait of Hormuz until the definitive end of the war and the establishment of lasting peace in the region.”
The Straits Times said there were “just four days remaining before the end of the two-week ceasefire” and described how Trump appeared convinced a deal could be reached shortly, while Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the “Americans cannot impose their will over Iran” through a siege.
The Indian Express said Pakistan was mediating talks between the US and Iran even as a ceasefire was set to expire on April 22.
PBS said Iran said it had received new proposals from the United States, and that Pakistani mediators were working to arrange another round of direct negotiations, with the expectation that Pakistan would host a second round of negotiations early next week.
The Straits Times added that Field Marshal Asim Munir ended a three-day visit to Iran on April 18 aimed at securing the peace deal, and it said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to push the peace process.
India protests and global stakes
India’s government protested the firing on its vessels and demanded facilitation for Indian-bound shipping, while other reporting linked the Hormuz disruption to broader energy and security consequences.
“At least 10 vessels have reversed course near the Strait of Hormuz”
The Times of India said India lodged a strong protest after two India-flagged ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, and it reported that the ministry of external affairs summoned Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali, urging the Iranian envoy to “resume the process of facilitating India-bound ships at earliest.”
The Times of India quoted the statement that foreign secretary Vikram Misri “conveyed India's concerns” and “noted the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners,” and it said Misri urged the Ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and “resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.”
PBS said India’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador over the “serious incident” of firing on two India-flagged merchant ships, especially after Iran earlier let several India-bound ships through.
The Indian Express said New Delhi summoned Iran’s ambassador, expressing “deep concern,” and it described that two Indian-flagged vessels were forced to reverse course after gunfire.
Devdiscourse reported that an Indian-flagged oil tanker, Desh Garima, managed by the Shipping Corporation of India, successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, while at least four other Indian vessels reversed course.
PBS said the renewed standoff threatened to deepen the global energy crisis and push countries into renewed conflict as the war entered its eighth week, and it described the strait as a route through which “roughly one-fifth of the world's oil normally passes.”
