Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz if US blockade continues

The United States renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products sanctioned at sea for about a month.

The Treasury Department posted the license on its website late Friday, allowing countries to buy Russian oil loaded on ships from Friday through May 16.

The licensing is part of the Trump administration’s effort to control global energy prices, which have risen during the US-Israel war with Iran and have recently fallen slightly on news of a temporary ceasefire for peace talks.

It replaces a 30-day grace period that expires on April 11. The license does not include transactions involving Iran, Cuba and North Korea.

On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said Washington would not renew waivers for Russian and Iranian oil. The Iranian waivers are set to expire on Sunday.

US lawmakers from both political parties criticized the administration, saying the sanctions relief would help the economies of Iran and Russia while they are at war with the US and Ukraine, respectively.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Saturday that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz again if the United States continued the blockade of Iranian ports.

“With the blockade continuing, the Strait of Hormuz will no longer remain open,” Ghalibaf wrote on X. He said passage through the waterway would occur along routes determined by Tehran and depend on Iranian authority.

The statement came hours after Iran announced it would allow ships to pass through the strait and US President Donald Trump said his country would continue the blockade until US and Iranian negotiators agree on a long-term peace deal.

Good morning and welcome to DW’s Saturday coverage of the situation in the Middle East.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz has been opened following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

Following Araghchi’s statement, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “Iran has just announced that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and ready for passage.”

However, Trump stressed that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until Washington reaches a deal with Tehran.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis.