By Mukesh 
Tehran threatened on Saturday (April 18, 2026) to shut the Strait of Hormuz once more if the United States continues its blockade of Iranian ports, hours after Iran announced it had reopened the strategic waterway in the wake of a ceasefire in Lebanon.
The potential for the resumption of transit had lifted stock markets on Friday (April 17) and prompted optimism from Washington, with President Donald Trump telling AFP a broader U.S.-Iran peace deal was “very close” and saying Tehran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium — a key sticking point in negotiations.