Iran has reaffirmed restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while a US blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, as ceasefire negotiations approach a key expiry deadline and Pakistani-led mediation continues.
Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf said transit through the waterway cannot resume while Iran remains under blockade, following renewed tensions at sea involving commercial shipping.
“It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Qalibaf said in a televised interview late Saturday (18 April).
Qalibaf, who is Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States, said Tehran would continue restricting commercial vessels transiting the critical waterway, after Iran’s navy fired on ships attempting to pass on Saturday.
- Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces reportedly fired on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, forcing some ships to retreat, according to maritime monitoring reports
- Pakistan, led by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, is attempting to bridge US–Iran differences as new proposals are reviewed
- Iran’s Supreme National Security Council rejected US demands to transfer 440kg of enriched uranium
Trump said Saturday that Iran “got a little cute” but that “very good” conversations were happening, and more information would come by day’s end. “They can’t blackmail us,” he added.
ℹ️ AP News
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