Iran's IRGC re-closed the strait Saturday after a brief ceasefire-linked opening. Iranian gunboats fired on a merchant vessel attempting passage. At least eight tankers turned back as of 10:30 GMT.
Hours after a ceasefire-linked reopening, Iran reversed course. The IRGC said passage must be coordinated with Iranian forces; vessels from the U.S., Israel, or allies will not be permitted.
AL JAZEERA · APR 18, 2026Per IRGC conditions, April 2026:
✅ Chinese-flagged vessels
✅ Turkish / Muslim-owned ships
✅ Neutral commercial (with coordination)
🚫 U.S.-linked vessels
🚫 Israeli-linked vessels
🚫 Western-allied ships
StraitWatch is an independent monitor tracking the operational status of the Strait of Hormuz — the world's most consequential energy chokepoint. In a fast-moving crisis, we cut through the noise with a single clear answer: open or closed, updated daily from verified sources, with curated links to the best available coverage.
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Gregory McNiff is a Managing Director in the New York office of the Blueshirt Group, with more than 25 years of experience in technology and telecom. Prior to Blueshirt, he was a sell-side equity research analyst at Nomura covering communications infrastructure, and has worked in early-stage venture capital, investment banking, and corporate strategy.
Greg has been drawn to military history since first reading Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War in high school, and is consistently fascinated by the scale of World War II and the depth of human drama it produced. He also founded and runs the World War II Discussion Forum, a free public lecture series featuring leading military historians.