Iran reopens, then shuts Hormuz in 24 hours as deadline looms

HEADLINES IN BRIEF

Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday then reversed course on Saturday, declaring it closed again hours after at least eight tankers had transited; the reversal came after Trump said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain "in full force" until a full deal is reached. READ MORE BELOW

IRGC gunboats fired on a tanker 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman without issuing a radio challenge, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported; the vessel and crew were said to be safe. READ MORE BELOW

Trump flatly rejected Iranian tolls on Hormuz: "Nope. No way. No. Nope." Iran insists vessels must pay fees and obtain Revolutionary Guard authorization before transiting. READ MORE BELOW

Pakistan's army chief concluded a three-day visit to Tehran after meeting Iran's top leadership; a second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad is expected early next week ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline. READ MORE BELOW

A 10-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon is holding, but Hezbollah did not participate in negotiating it; Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon and Netanyahu said the campaign against Hezbollah "is not complete." READ MORE BELOW

Iran said it will not transfer its stockpile of enriched uranium to the United States, directly contradicting Trump's claim that Tehran had agreed to hand it over.

Iran partially reopened its airspace over eastern Iran for the first time since February 28.

The four-week internet blackout in Iran reached its 50th day, according to monitor Netblocks.

The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and 13 US service members.

IN DETAIL

Hormuz: Open, closed, and disputed — all within 24 hours

Friday brought brief optimism. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial vessels following a Lebanon ceasefire agreement. At least eight oil and gas tankers transited the waterway, hugging Iranian territorial waters. Global markets surged and oil prices fell sharply.

By Saturday morning, it was over. Iran's joint military command declared that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state... under strict management and control of the armed forces," citing the continuation of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as justification. 

At least as many ships appeared to have turned back as had gotten through.

The reversal came after Trump stated Friday that the US blockade "will remain in full force" regardless of Iran's actions until a comprehensive deal is reached — including on Iran's nuclear program. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh in Antalya said the US "cannot impose their will to do a siege over Iran while Iran, with good intention, is trying to facilitate safe passage."

Iran's armed forces command accused the US of repeated violations and acts of "piracy" under the guise of the blockade, saying Tehran had earlier agreed "in good faith" to allow a limited convoy of vessels through following negotiations, but that continued US actions had forced it to restore tighter controls. There was no immediate US response.

IRGC gunboats fire on tanker

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported Saturday that IRGC-linked gunboats fired on a tanker 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman without issuing a prior radio challenge.

Three maritime security and shipping sources separately said at least two merchant vessels were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the strait on Saturday — during what had initially appeared to be the first major convoy movement through the waterway since the war began seven weeks ago. 

Eight tankers were tracked transiting in convoy before Iran reimposed controls. The vessels and crews were reported safe. UKMTO did not name the ships involved.

The toll dispute

Iran has made clear it intends to charge vessels for Hormuz passage. Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran's parliamentary National Security Commission, said commercial vessels must pay "required tolls" and use routes designated by Iran. "The time has come to comply with the new Maritime Regime of the Strait of Hormuz," he wrote. "These regulations are determined by Iran, not by social media posts."

Trump dismissed the idea outright when asked by reporters. "Nope. No way. No. Nope," he said. "No, they're not going to be tolls."

The arrangement — which Iran operated informally during the war, charging vessels from "friendly" countries around $1 million per transit — violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which prohibits fees for innocent passage through territorial waters. No enforcement mechanism currently exists.

US Central Command said it had turned back 21 ships bound for Iranian ports since the blockade began. Shipping tracker Kpler said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iranian approval.

Ceasefire deadline: four days and counting

The two-week US-Iran ceasefire expires on April 22. Both sides say a deal is close. Both sides continue to contradict each other on almost every point.

Trump said Friday there were "no sticking points at all" with Tehran and cited "some pretty good news" about Iran without elaborating. But he also warned that fighting could resume without a deal by Wednesday, when the ceasefire expires. 

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, speaking at a diplomatic forum in Antalya, said talks had ended "very close" to agreement and that the Lebanon ceasefire cleared a major obstacle. Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement "in the coming days."

Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir concluded a three-day visit to Tehran on Saturday, meeting President Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Araghchi, and senior military officials. Prime Minister Sharif separately met Turkish President Erdogan and Qatar's Emir in Antalya. A second round of direct talks in Islamabad is expected early next week.

The uranium problem

One sticking point remains unresolved and may be the most consequential. Trump said at an event in Arizona that Iran had agreed to hand over its 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent — near weapons-grade — buried under rubble from US strikes. "We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," he said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected the claim hours later. "Iran's enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere," spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV. "Transfer of Iran's enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations." Deputy Foreign Minister Khatibzadeh added that Iran was not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks because the Americans "have not abandoned their maximalist position."

Lebanon: ceasefire holds

The 10-day Israel-Hezbollah truce is holding, but its durability is uncertain. Hezbollah played no role in negotiating it. Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon and Netanyahu said Israel had destroyed around 90 percent of Hezbollah's missile and rocket stockpiles but that the campaign "is not complete."

Trump said Israel is "prohibited" from further strikes on Lebanon, adding "enough is enough." The State Department clarified the prohibition covers offensive strikes only, not actions taken in self-defense.

Lebanese civilians began returning to southern areas and Beirut's southern suburbs despite official warnings to wait. The Lebanese army began rebuilding bridges over the Litani River and established checkpoints near Israeli-held lines. The UN and Lebanese army reported sporadic artillery fire in some parts of the south in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed the country's "readiness for negotiations" with Israel — a significant step given the two countries have technically been at war since 1948. Earlier this week, the two countries' US ambassadors held the first direct talks in decades. Trump has invited Aoun and Netanyahu to the White House, though no date has been set.

Signals from both sides

Iran partially reopened its airspace over eastern Iran on Saturday for the first time since February 28, with gradual resumption of airport operations. The internet blackout, in place since the start of the war, reached its 50th day.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a message for Army Day declaring the navy "ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats." Both the US and Iranian militaries are maintaining full combat readiness despite the ceasefire, with the US continuing to move forces into the region.