Iran is once again locking down, this Sunday, April 19, 2026, the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the continued blockade of its ports by the United States, three days before the expiration of the ceasefire between the two countries and while Tehran considers a peace agreement still distant.
What to remember
- Iran announced that it would regain “strict control” of the Strait of Hormuz this Sunday. This new blockade comes in retaliation for the blockade of its ports by the United States, three days before the expiration of the ceasefire between the two countries.
- At least three commercial ships came under fire while trying to cross the strait on Saturday. The Revolutionary Guards threaten to target any building approaching the area, while a peace agreement still seems distant in Tehran.
- In South Lebanon, a French soldier from the Blue Helmet force was killed on Saturday during an ambush.
Iran announced on Saturday that it would resume “strict control” of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing its decision the day before to reopen this sea route through which a fifth of world oil and gas trade normally passes.
Shortly after this announcement, at least three commercial ships attempting to cross the strait came under fire.
“Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy and the offending vessel will be targeted”said the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army.
“They play smarter”reacted American President Donald Trump, denouncing a “blackmail”.
After more than a month of a war which left thousands dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and seriously disrupted the world economy, the announcement of the reopening of the strait on Friday gave a boost to the financial markets and caused a sharp decline in oil prices.
“Still far from having concluded the debate”
The new tightening, which risks causing new turmoil on world markets when they reopen on Monday, comes in the middle of a diplomatic ballet to bring Iran and the United States back to the negotiating table, after a first session which ended in failure on April 12 in Islamabad. The head of Egyptian diplomacy, Badr Abdelatty, said “work tirelessly” to this end, alongside Pakistan.
Donald Trump assured Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, a crucial issue, which Tehran denied. And if the American president again reported on Saturday “very good conversations” with Tehran, the story is, again, very different on the Iranian side.
“We are still far from having concluded the debate”declared Saturday evening the powerful speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who had participated in the Islamabad negotiations facing an American delegation led by Vice-President JD Vance.
“We have made progress in the negotiations, but many differences remain and some fundamental points remain unresolved”he added.
During the Islamabad meeting, which was the highest level between the two countries since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, “we stressed that we have absolutely no confidence in the United States”said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who urged them to “renounce unilateralism and the spirit of imposition in their approach to dialogue.
“Finger on the trigger”
In Lebanon, the other front of the war, a French soldier was killed on Saturday and three others injured, two of them seriously, in an ambush against peacekeepers in the south of the country.
The attack, which occurred the day after the entry into force of a ten-day truce in Lebanon, was attributed to pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which however denied any involvement.
On Saturday, the Israeli army announced that it had established a “yellow line” demarcation in southern Lebanon, as in the Gaza Strip, and have “eliminated a terrorist cell” operating close to his troops. She also announced the death of two of her soldiers in the region since the start of the truce.
“A ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities. As we do not trust this enemy, resistance fighters will remain on the ground with their finger on the trigger and respond to violations.”said Hezbollah leader Naïm Qassem, asserting that a truce could not be “unilateral”.
“I’m afraid to go home”
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, many residents took advantage of the lull to return to inspect their homes, before returning to live in tents on the seafront, fearing a resumption of Israeli strikes at any moment.
“I’m afraid to go home because the situation is still unstable”Samah Hajoul, a mother of four children, told AFP in her house whose windows were broken by the bombings.
The war in Lebanon began on March 2 when Hezbollah attacked Israel in retaliation for the Israeli-US offensive against Iran. Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,300 people and displaced more than a million people, according to authorities.
Leave a Reply