The Iranian government has announced that the Strait of Hormuz is closed again. Ships have been attacked in the last 15 minutes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy warned in a statement on Saturday that “no vessel is to move from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman”. It said a number of vessels had passed through the strait under its management since Friday night, but that it would shut again until the US stopped its blockade of Iranian port. The current two-week ceasefire is set to expire on April 22. The US has said that it has turned away 23 ships in the two weeks since it began enforcing its blockade of the strait on 13 April. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said this was a breach of the ceasefire and would stop the reopening while the agreement was still in effect. Peace talks earlier this month failed to produce an agreement. “We are having very good conversations.” The negotiations are going very well, Trump said on Saturday. There were several reports of Iranian vessels being attacked on Saturday. The UK Maritime Trade Operations said that two Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker as it attempted to cross the strait. A container ship was also damaged by an “unknown projectile” near the coast of Oman’s north-east. Some vessels were able to cross the strait while it was open, but others had to change their route because of IRGC restrictions. The strait is used to transport about 20% of the world’s oil and LNG, but the number has dropped dramatically since the recent conflict began on 28 February, when Israel and the US attacked Iran. The price of a crude oil barrel has risen to over $100 ($74) in some places. Iran has warned it would attack tankers, other ships and laid mines.
