Iran Keeps Hormuz Shut, Demands US Lift Port Blockade
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- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran's parliament, said negotiations with Washington showed "progress" but a final deal remained "far" off, with "many gaps and some fundamental points" unresolved
- Strait of Hormuz sat empty of shipping on Sunday after Iran reversed a brief Friday reopening, triggered by Trump's insistence that the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a final deal
- Donald Trump warned Tehran against trying to "blackmail" the US by flip-flopping on the strait, saying "very good conversations" were underway but Washington was "taking a tough stand"
- A two-week ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday (April 22, 2026) unless renewed, with mediation continuing through Egypt and Pakistan following failed high-level talks in Islamabad
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker, threatened to "destroy" an empty cruise ship fleeing the Gulf, and warned any unauthorized vessel would be "targeted" — prompting India to summon Iran's ambassador over two Indian-flagged ships
- A core sticking point is Iran's ~440 kg stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium: Trump claimed Iran agreed to hand it over ("we're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators"), while Iran's Foreign Ministry said the stockpile "is not going to be transferred anywhere"
Why it matters: The ceasefire expires Wednesday with the strait carrying a fifth of world oil and LNG still militarized. Iran's 440 kg enriched-uranium stockpile remains the unresolved flashpoint — Trump says he's taking it, Tehran says it's not moving. Iranian forces have already fired on vessels attempting to cross, and India's diplomatic protest signals the dispute is pulling in third countries ahead of the deadline.
