The Strait of Hormuz has "returned to its previous status," the Iranian military announced on Saturday morning, closing the strait less than a day after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared it open to commercial ships.
On Saturday evening, the tone hardened further:
"We warn that no ships, of any kind, are allowed to leave their anchorages in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the ship that violates this will be targeted," a statement published on the Revolutionary Guard's official website said.
The U.S.'s continued blockade of all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports is, according to the military, "violations and piracy under cover", and thus the Strait of Hormuz cannot be allowed to remain open.
Attacks on ships
Following the announcement that Iran had reneged on an agreement with the U.S. and closed the Strait of Hormuz – through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas exports pass – several alarms have been raised about attacks on tankers and merchant ships.
Among other things, two military boats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard approached a tanker and opened fire, according to the British maritime traffic watchdog UKMTO. India has also protested that Iran opened fire on two Indian-flagged ships.
About 20 ships queuing to sail out of the Persian Gulf have turned back to Oman after Iran's announcement, the Wall Street Journal reports. At least eight ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Saturday, according to the Coast Guard.
Trump: Talking to them
U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed on Friday that Iran "has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again," was warning the country against swinging back and forth and "blackmailing" the U.S.
He said during a press conference at the White House on Saturday that "there will be news" later in the day and that the United States was hitting back hard against Iran.
"We are talking to them. They want the strait closed again, the way they have been for several years," he said.
However, the Strait of Hormuz remained open until Israel and the United States launched the war on Iran on February 28. The Iranian regime responded by restricting traffic in the strait.
