The uncertainty returns in the Strait of Hormuz. The statements made by Donald Trump and Tehran had suggested an end to the blockade. However, everything changed on Saturday, April 18, with Iranian boats firing in the direction of a tanker and commercial ships.
A distress call on the radio in the middle of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 18. An Indian tanker is targeted by Iranian ships. “My name is second on your list. You gave me permission and now you are shooting at me. Let me turn back,” he pleads. The tanker is forced to retreat. Other cargo ships were also targeted. A map shows all the ships that were hoping to take advantage of the reopening of the strait turning back in panic. Iran has indeed changed its mind and announced the re-closure of the strait, just a few hours after opening it. “The status of the Strait of Hormuz returns to its initial state. It remains under the strict control of our armed forces,” it was announced on state television. The supreme leader also threatened in a statement: “The brave navy is ready to make the enemy taste the bitterness of new defeats.”
World trade is hanging in the balance with the showdown between the United States and Iran, amidst the conflicting information from both sides. Donald Trump remains firm today. “They want to close the strait again, you know, as they have been doing for years. But they cannot blackmail us,” stated the President of the United States. Donald Trump appears much less optimistic than the day before. In front of his supporters, he had announced an imminent agreement, including on the highly sensitive issue of Iran’s uranium stockpile. “The United States will get all the nuclear dust, armed with the biggest bulldozers you can imagine. We will go together with Iran, get it, and bring it back quickly to the United States,” the American president had said. Despite these successive denials and reversals, negotiations are said to still be ongoing according to Donald Trump and they could resume face-to-face as early as Monday.
