Iran reasserts control over Hormuz traffic amid rising US tensions

Iran announced on Saturday that it will maintain strict control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz until the war in the region is definitively resolved and lasting peace is achieved. The move comes after the US naval blockade against Iran continued, prompting Tehran to renew control over Hormuz traffic.

According to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Iran plans to manage the strait by collecting vessel information, issuing passage permits, charging fees for security and environmental services and directing traffic under its regulations and wartime protocols.

In response, US President Donald Trump said that Iran cannot "blackmail" the United States with the Strait of Hormuz.

"We're talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again ... and they can't blackmail us," Trump said at an event at the White House.

Earlier on Friday, both Washington and Tehran confirmed that the strait had been completely open for all commercial vessels. However, Trump said on Truth Social that the US naval blockade would "remain in full force." In response, Iran warned of closing the strategic waterway again if the US blockade continues.

Experts suggest Iran's reversal on reopening the strait is strategic.

Qin Tian, deputy director of the Middle East Studies Institute at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said Iran initially offered unilateral goodwill to create a positive atmosphere for the subsequent US-Iran negotiations. However, the US did not reciprocate, prompting Tehran to maintain its control.

Qin also said Iran sees the strait as leverage in future negotiations. "If the strait were reopened before negotiations, Iran would clearly lose an important bargaining chip in the talks," he said.

He also noted that unlike the US, which faces domestic and foreign pressure to quickly resolve conflicts, Iran can afford a slower negotiation strategy to secure more concessions.

Tensions escalate

Following Tehran's renewed control, vessel tracking data showed about 10 ships turning back on Saturday while attempting to pass through the strait.

Reports from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office indicated multiple incidents near the strait, including an attack on a container ship northeast of Oman and two Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats firing on an oil tanker, though no damage or injuries were reported.

Amid growing tensions, the US military is preparing in the coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Saturday.

The move will enable the US to take control of Iran-linked vessels around the world, including ships carrying Iranian oil that are already sailing outside the Persian Gulf and those carrying arms that could support Tehran, the report said.

The US has also deployed a third aircraft carrier strike group to the region. In addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford, the USS George H.W. Bush strike group, currently operating near South Africa, could join existing forces to create a three-carrier deployment or relieve the USS Gerald R. Ford in ongoing operations, according to US officials.

Iranian leaders, meanwhile, have reaffirmed their readiness to fight again. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) advisor Mohammad Reza Naqdi confirmed continued missile and drone production, while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran's navy is prepared to inflict "new and painful defeats" on its adversaries.

Negotiations continue amid standoffs

US and Iranian negotiators met last week but failed to reach an agreement. Core issues such as uranium enrichment, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and unfreezing Iranian overseas assets remain unresolved.

According to Iranian media reports, Iran has received new US proposals, delivered through Pakistan during a recent visit by its Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and is reviewing them. However, officials stressed that Iran's negotiating delegation will not make any compromise and will defend the country's interests with full force.

Experts predict that negotiations will continue alongside ongoing standoffs.

Li Shaoxian, honorary director of the China-Arab States Research Institute at Ningxia University, suggested that the situation may see both diplomatic talks and minor confrontations, "a pattern of both negotiating and confronting." He emphasized that any nuclear agreement would require both sides to compromise.

"To reach an agreement, the US would need to make certain concessions, including at least recognizing Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy," Li said, adding that only on that basis could further issues be negotiated, such as diluting enriched uranium and setting limits on the amount Iran is allowed to retain.

The escalating conflict is also straining global energy markets.

The International Air Transport Association warned that continued supply disruptions could force flight cancellations in Europe by late May, with parts of Asia already affected. International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol said Europe's aviation fuel reserves may last only six more weeks if Middle East disruptions persist, potentially leading to widespread flight cancellations.