Tehran reversed course on Saturday to reassert control over the strait, again closing the energy choke point and adding fresh uncertainty to the war.<\/p>\n
\t Iran said it was responding to a continued US blockade of Iranian ports, calling it a violation of the ceasefire, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran\u2019s navy was ready to inflict \u201cnew bitter defeats\u201d on its enemies. Trump called the move \u201cblackmail\u201d even as he praised the talks.<\/p>\n Still, Ghalibaf said \u201cthe American and Iranian negotiating teams now have a more realistic understanding of each other,\u201d according to an English translation of his remarks carried by Turkish outlet TRT World.<\/p>\n His comments came after Trump told reporters that dialogue with Iran, mediated by Pakistan, was \u201cworking out really well<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n But Trump also defended the US blockade and threatened \u201cto start dropping bombs again\u201d unless the countries reached a long-term deal before the ceasefire expires on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Pakistan, which is mediating between the two sides, is expected to host the second round of talks between Iran and the US in the coming days. A previous round last weekend ended without any resolutions.<\/p>\n In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump also showered praise on Israel, which, together with the US, began strikes on Iran on February 28, in a bid to destabilize the regime in Tehran and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capacities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region, and its proxies in Iraq and Lebanon have also carried out attacks, with Israel launching massive airstrikes in Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah terror group\u2019s rocket barrages.<\/p>\n A great ally<\/p>\n \u201cWhether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN!\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n \t Trump has been very critical of traditional US allies and other NATO members for their lack of assistance during the war.<\/p>\n It was unclear what prompted the statement, although it came not long after former US vice president Kamala Harris accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging the US into an unwanted war with Iran.<\/p>\n Trump \u201centered a war, got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let\u2019s be clear about that,\u201d said Harris, referring to Israel\u2019s prime minister by his nickname.<\/p>\n \u201cHe entered a war that the American people do not want, putting at risk American service members,\u201d she told a Democratic Party fundraiser in Detroit.<\/p>\n Netanyahu has repeatedly\u00a0derided\u00a0the idea<\/a> that he dragged the US into war with Iran, calling it \u201cfake news,\u201d and insisting that Trump only bases his decisions on \u201cwhat he thinks is good for America.\u201d<\/p>\n Even as mediators expressed confidence that a new deal was within reach and talks looked set to resume, confusion over the critical Strait of Hormuz threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict. Roughly one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil passes through the strait and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again.<\/p>\n On Friday, Tehran had declared the strait open after a ceasefire was reached in Israel\u2019s war with Iran\u2019s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, triggered by the terror group\u2019s relentless rocket and drone fire at northern Israel. Iran had tied its ceasefire with the US to a halt in Israeli attacks on Hezbollah.<\/p>\n \t Opening of the strait prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but with Trump insisting the blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal is struck to end the wider war, Tehran said it was shuttering the strait once more.<\/p>\n \u201cIf America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited,\u201d Ghalibaf said.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission \u201cwill be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday during the brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and tracking platforms showed hardly any vessels crossing the waterway by the late afternoon.<\/p>\n A UK maritime security agency said the Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker, while security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported the force had threatened to \u201cdestroy\u201d an empty cruise ship that was fleeing the Gulf.<\/p>\n In a third incident, the UK agency said it received a report of a vessel \u201cbeing hit by an unknown projectile which caused damage\u201d to shipping containers but no fire.<\/p>\n The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi to lodge a protest over a \u201cshooting incident\u201d involving two Indian-flagged ships in the strait.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, in Washington, April 18, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26105792912406-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFormer US vice president Kamala Harris speaks with a girl at Crave restaurant ahead of a South Carolina Democratic Party fundraiser, in Greenville, South Carolina, April 15, 2026. (Meg Kinnard\/AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26108447243959-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo\/Asghar Besharati)<\/p>\n
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