Iran’s military on Saturday accused the United States of acts of “piracy” and “sea robbery” in its blockade of its ports \u2014 and that in response it was resuming control of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
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“Control over the Strait of Hormuz has been returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under strict management and control by the Armed Forces,” a spokesman said.<\/p>\n
In a statement to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the spokesman insisted that until the US ended restrictions<\/a> on the free movement of vessels to and from Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain tightly controlled and unchanged from its previous status.”<\/p>\n Iran announced on Friday morning that the strait was open for maritime traffic, and mid-afternoon data showed that commercial vessels were passing through<\/a> the strategic waterway, though only a small number.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump greeted the news in a Truth Social post, writing that “Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for passage.”<\/p>\n The market reaction to the announcement saw stocks climb higher and oil fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hours later, a large group of vessels sailed toward the strait but inexplicably turned away, ship-tracking data shows, raising questions about the status of this critical chokepoint.<\/p>\n