US and Iran Impose Mutual Blockades on Strait of Hormuz

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz from the Arabian Sea side on Wednesday, heightening tensions in the third day of a US naval blockade on its ports. Commander Shahram Irani stated that Iran will take swift action if US forces move forward. "The enemy thought that in the shortest possible time – such as three days to one week – it could reach a conclusion in a war against Iran, and this assumption of theirs has become a joke in military universities," Irani said in a statement carried by state media.

US forces successfully redirected a 42nd commercial vessel attempting to violate the blockade, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. There are now 41 tankers with 69 million barrels of oil that the Iranian regime cannot sell, representing an estimated $6 billion-plus from which Iran's leadership cannot financially benefit, Cooper said.

The blockade, imposed after Iranian forces blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, has proven highly effective, he added. Brent crude oil futures jumped 8 percent to $120 per barrel, the highest level since June 2022, as markets priced in prolonged closure of the strait. About 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump met oil executives on Tuesday and discussed efforts to alleviate global oil markets and steps to continue the current blockade for months if needed while minimizing impact on American consumers, a White House official said. Trump said a US naval blockade against Iran could last months.

In the Oval Office, he told reporters that talks with Iran have come a long way but are now being held by phone, with US negotiators no longer flying 18 hours to Pakistan.

"At this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons," Trump stated. Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned of damaging consequences if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said US measures to halt Iran's sale of oil have yet to fill storage tanks and have simply driven prices up.

In a post on X on April 29, 2026, Ghalibaf wrote, 'Three days in, no well exploded,' adding that members of the US administration, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, are acting on junk advice. A Pentagon official told Congress that the war has so far cost $25 billion, mostly on munitions.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth testified that the strike that hit an Iranian girls’ school early in the war, killing about 170 people mostly children, remains under investigation.

Six American soldiers stationed in Kuwait were killed by an Iranian drone; the soldiers were from the 103d Sustainment Command. Democratic Representative Pat Ryan called for Hegseth to resign, pressing him on whether intelligence showed the Kuwait location was high on Iran's target list and indefensible from aerial attack.

Ryan quoted survivors who said they were not prepared to defend against a drone attack.

Hegseth said the military took proactive measures to protect US forces and that the soldiers who died are remembered every day. The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely still at its Isfahan nuclear complex, which was bombarded by air strikes last year, according to Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA.

IAEA inspections at Isfahan ended when Israel launched a 12-day war last June, during which the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.

A large percentage of Iran’s highly enriched uranium was stored at Isfahan in June 2025 when the 12-day war broke out, and it has been there ever since, Grossi said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and discussed the urgent need to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry and discussed the latest regional developments.

Araghchi spoke earlier with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar about Iran’s ceasefire with the US and other regional and international developments. Oman’s Foreign Ministry top diplomat Badr Albusaidi spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the latest regional developments, emphasizing the importance of intensifying international efforts to resume security, safety, and freedom of maritime navigation.

They stressed the necessity for all parties to exercise flexibility to reach practical solutions for settling disputes.

The United Arab Emirates exited OPEC, the fourth-largest producer in the group. Communication has been lost with 11 Gaza-bound aid boats after they were surrounded by Israeli military boats in international waters, the Global Sumud Flotilla said. The flotilla issued an SOS after boat communications were jammed and vessels were approached by Israeli speedboats pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons.

Israeli media claims that seven boats have been intercepted; the flotilla stated its boats have been illegally surrounded and threatened with kidnapping and violence. Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon killed more than a dozen people, including three women in an attack on Tayr Debba.

Israel’s military chief Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir visited occupied southern Lebanon and said any threat against Israeli communities or forces, including beyond the yellow line and north of the Litani, will be eliminated.

Fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, 2026; Lebanese representatives met twice in Washington for discussions with the US. US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire that began on April 17, 2026, which was extended for three weeks after the second round of talks.

Amin Gemayel, former Lebanese president who is 84 years old, spoke with The Associated Press after the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since the 1980s.

Gemayel acknowledged much has changed as Lebanese leaders pursue talks with Israel amid a fragile ceasefire. In Canada, three Iranian federation officials arrived with visas to participate in Thursday’s FIFA Congress but returned on the next available flight. The officials included Iran’s football federation president and deputy secretary-general.

Canada’s immigration agency says Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members are inadmissible to Canada. Iran's medical examiner confirmed that Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi needs urgent cardiac care, but Tehran prosecutors are refusing to grant her a temporary suspension of her sentence for treatment.

Mohammadi has rapidly lost 20kg and has dangerously high blood pressure; the examiner stated she needs at least one month of specialized treatment.

Dangerously high blood pressure and rapid loss of 20kg (44lbs) have placed Mohammadi’s life in imminent danger, according to a report by her foundation; she suffers from persistent chest pain and experienced high blood pressure over the past three days without responding to medication.

Mohammadi has been imprisoned for several periods since 2016 over her opposition to the death penalty and compulsory veiling. She was sentenced on February 8, 2026, to seven-and-a-half years on charges including collusion against state security and propaganda.

Her legal team stated after a recent visit that Mohammadi’s condition has reached a critical point.