U.S. negotiators prepare for more peace talks as Trump repeats threats to Iran

(NPR) After briefly reopening the vital economic waterway, Iran has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying it will restrict ships from passing through as long as the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran's chief negotiator, parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, was unequivocal in comments made on Iranian state TV overnight, stressing: "It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot."

The U.S. military said on X that it forced 23 ships to turn around as part of its blockade of Iranian ports. About 20% of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes through the narrow waterway, which Iran has essentially closed to international tankers since the U.S. and Israel launched a war on the country at the end of February.

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/19/nx-s1-5790378/iran-us-hormuz-closed-impossible