BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Could an indefinitely extended ceasefire with Tehran as announced by Washington afford petty manoeuvres, like testing the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, on both sides? In day one of the extended truce, and under the global spotlight, the parties involved didn't cease to vie for control of the Strait traffic.
The latest moves centered on the Strait traffic have heightened global concerns once again. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced in a social media post that he has ordered the U.S. military to "shoot and kill" small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the channel. On Wednesday, Iran captured two foreign container ships seeking to exit the passage and fired on a third one.
A U.S. naval blockade on the Strait against Iranian vessels and ports is still underway while Iran maintains its strict control over the waterway. Both sides have turned the Strait into a stage for a standoff as the global economy continues to pay a heavy price for its blockade.
WHY STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRITICAL?
The Strait of Hormuz transports about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.
Linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea beyond, it serves as the only route for outbound oil and gas shipments by Gulf-based exporters, and accounts for about 80 percent of Iran's oil exports.
The strait running between Iran and Oman is only about 39 km wide at its narrowest point, half a section naturally and legally within the territorial waters of each side. Days after the United States and Israel jointly launched military strikes against it on Feb. 28, Iran closed the passage that previously had no restrictions on free navigation.
START OF IRAN'S BLOCKADE
On March 4, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Iran's full authority over vessel movements in the Strait during wartime and demanded compliance by all. Iran also warned that vessels belonging to the United States, Israel, European states and their supporters would not be allowed passage.
Earlier in that day, Iran hit a U.S. oil tanker north of the Persian Gulf with missiles, one day after the U.S. military sank an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka in international waters, killing over 80 of its 130 crew members.
On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on social media that "the U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," adding that Washington will "come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set."
On March 24, IRGC navy commander Alireza Tangsiri wrote on social media platform X that a foreign container ship was intercepted while crossing the Strait for failing to comply with required protocols and obtain a transit permit.
In March, the IRGC reportedly charged Strait transit fees for vessels of non-enemy countries. Iran demanded oil tankers pay a transit toll of 1 U.S. dollar per barrel for passing through the Strait, The Wall Street Journal reported in April.
On Thursday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing a senior Iranian lawmaker, that Iran has received its first revenue from tolls imposed on the Strait of Hormuz.
In March, Trump had sought to form a coalition to escort commercial vessels through the Strait but failed.
TIGHT CONTROL DESPITE CEASEFIRE
Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz was promised by Iran during the two weeks of a conditional ceasefire with the United States that took effect on April 8. Iran had stressed Washington's adherence to its commitments as prerequisite.
On April 9, Iran's IRGC announced two alternative transit routes, citing safety risks from sea mines in parts of the waterway. Also on the day, Iranian media reported that oil tankers' movements through the Strait had stopped after Israel's fresh deadly attacks in Lebanon.
On April 8, the first day of the ceasefire, Israel continued its parallel conflict in Lebanon with its largest single-day military offensive there since the Iran war began. This move was disputed by Iran, which said the ceasefire deal covers Lebanon, a point denied by both Israel and the United States.
On April 11, the U.S. Central Command said that two U.S. warships had transited the Strait of Hormuz and began mine-clearing operations in the Gulf. Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters rejected that account, "strongly" denying the U.S. claim that American vessels were approaching and entering the Strait.
On April 12, Trump announced that the U.S. Navy would begin blocking ships trying to enter or leave the Strait, an action "effective immediately." He made the remarks after the first round of peace talks with Iran, held in Pakistan's Islamabad on April 11-12, failed to produce a peace deal.
The announcement immediately sparked widespread concerns and drew stronger calls worldwide for a de-escalation and a return to negotiations.
Also on April 12, Iran's IRGC navy stressed in an X post that all movements and non-movements in the Strait were under Iran's complete control, adding that, "Any erroneous maneuver will trap the enemy in deadly whirlpools in the Strait."
U.S. NAVAL BLOCKADE AGAINST IRAN
On April 13, Trump warned that the U.S. military will "eliminate" any Iranian ship if it would come close to the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which formally took effect on the day.
The U.S. blockade of the Strait has prevented ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway. On April 14, the U.S. Central Command said more than 10,000 troops were executing the blockade mission, impartially targeting vessels of all nations.
On Thursday, the Command said that since the U.S. naval blockade against Iran, U.S. forces have directed 31 Iran-linked vessels to turn around or return to port.
IRAN'S RESUMPTION OF STRICT CONTROL
On April 17, Araghchi wrote in an X post: "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire."
However, Trump said in a social media post, while confirming the Strait's reopening, that the U.S. naval blockade against Iran would "remain in full force" until a comprehensive deal to end the war was finalized. In response, Iran warned of closing the waterway again if the U.S. blockade continued.
On April 18, Iran's IRGC navy announced its resumption of the blockade of the Strait from the evening of the day due to the continued U.S. naval blockade.
A STICKING POINT
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has remained a sticking point for a second round of peace talks in Pakistan to occur between the United States and Iran.
Iran has refused to attend the negotiations, which were initially planned to be held this week, demanding that Washington end the naval blockade against its ports and ships.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday in an X post that breaches of commitments, blockades and threats constitute the main obstacles to genuine negotiations.
Trump said on Wednesday there is "no time frame" for ending the weeks-long war against Iran, despite the extension of the two-week ceasefire that expired on Wednesday night.
"What we are seeing in the Strait of Hormuz is not strategic mastery but mutual brinkmanship, with each side testing the limits of coercion," Ali Vaez, the Iran project director for the International Crisis Group think tank, was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. ■
