Iran threatens to close Hormuz anew, if US blockade continues

Tehran on Saturday (18 April) threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz once more if the United States continues its blockade of Iranian ports, hours after the key waterway was reopened in the wake of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon.

The resumption of transit had lifted stock markets on Friday and prompted optimism from Washington, with US President Donald Trump telling AFP a peace deal was "very close" and saying Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium -- a key sticking point in negotiations.

"We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," Trump told a gathering of the conservative Turning Point USA movement in Phoenix, Arizona.

Iran, however, pushed back on the claim, saying its stockpile of enriched uranium was not going anywhere.

It also warned that if US warships interdict vessels coming from Iranian ports, the Strait of Hormuz -- a key global artery through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes -- could be closed again.

"With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open," parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X, adding that passage through the waterway would require authorisation from Iran.

"The opening and closing of the Strait of Hormuz, does not take place on internet, it is determined in the field, and our armed forces certainly know how to behave in response to any action by the other side," said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.

"What they call a naval blockade will definitely be met with an appropriate response from Iran. A naval blockade is a violation of the ceasefire and Iran will definitely take the necessary measures."

The sour notes came on a day that Trump had hailed as "GREAT AND BRILLIANT," with a series of social media posts praising talks mediator Pakistan and Gulf allies, while telling NATO to "STAY AWAY" as he rejected the alliance's offer to help secure the strait.

In his phone interview with AFP, Trump added, "Looks like it's going to be very good for everybody. And we're very close to having a deal," adding that there were "no sticking points at all" left with Tehran.

Fragile gains

Oil prices had already been falling on hopes of a negotiated end to the conflict, and the drop accelerated on Friday, with stocks heading upwards as traders drank in the optimism.

Late Friday, the US issued another waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products already at sea, a move likely to further soften oil prices as it increases supply.

The ceasefire in Lebanon and the reopening of the strait marked key progress in Washington's push for a broader deal to end its war with Iran, after Tehran insisted that halting the Lebanon fighting must be part of any agreement.

In Lebanon, displaced families used the 10-day truce to return to homes in bomb-damaged south Beirut and the war-ravaged south.

"Our feelings are indescribable, pride and victory," 37-year-old Amani Atrash told AFP, adding that she hoped the ceasefire would be extended.

Trump said Israel had been "prohibited" by Washington from carrying out further strikes.

"Enough is enough!" he said, adding that the United States would work with Lebanon "and deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner."

Truce under strain

The fighting in Lebanon began on 2 March, when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel days after the wider Middle East war began and in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Separately, the Israeli military said it was lifting wartime restrictions, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the campaign against Hezbollah was not over.

"We have not yet finished the job," he said, adding that a key objective was the "dismantling of Hezbollah."

Israel warned that military action could resume if the area between the security zone and the Litani River is not cleared of Hezbollah fighters, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun insisted his country would no longer serve as an arena for outside conflicts.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, warned it remained ready to respond to any Israeli violations.