Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz What happens now, Donald Trump?
Everyone was actually waiting for a new negotiation date in the Iran conflict. Now Tehran is withdrawing the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. How is Trump reacting?
18.04.2026, 21:02
18.04.2026, 23:31
dpa
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- The renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is putting Donald Trump in a tight spot.
- Although he does not want to be "blackmailed", the US President does not seem to have found a way out of the dilemma so far.
- Whether there will be further rounds of negotiations before the ceasefire agreed so far expires on Wednesday is questionable.
A few days before the ceasefire is due to expire, Iran announces the opening of the Strait of Hormuz - but cancels it hours later with reference to the ongoing US naval blockade. The questions that now arise:
How will Trump react?
Iran blames the US for the U-turn because it has maintained the naval blockade. Trump, on the other hand, was unimpressed - at least in public. Tehran has been doing this for years - "they can't blackmail us with this", he told journalists at the White House this morning (US local time).
The President was comparatively taciturn on the subject of Iran by his standards: Trump merely emphasized that both sides were continuing to negotiate. "We're having very good talks right now. It's going really well," he said. There could be some new findings by the end of the day. However, he did not respond to questions about Iran.
Will the next round of negotiations even take place now?
Actually, everyone was just waiting for the announcement of a date for the next round. One assumption was that the negotiators could meet on Monday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad for a new round of negotiations. In any case, preparations are underway there, registrations for media representatives have begun and additional security personnel have been deployed to the city.
The White House recently announced that plans for another round of talks were still underway. However, the Iranian state news agency Tasnim reported that Iran had not yet agreed to take part in a second round.
Will the ceasefire remain in place?
The ceasefire agreed to date is due to expire on Wednesday. It was already considered shaky because Washington and Tehran accused each other of not adhering to agreements. Trump accused the Iranians of not adhering to the agreement because free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was not immediately restored. The Iranians made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for this, which has since come into force. Despite all this, the fighting has been suspended.
Are there disagreements between the political leadership and the military in Iran?
The question arises, as it was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who announced an opening subject to conditions - and the military withdrew this promise just one day later. Many Iran experts assume that the Revolutionary Guards are the real power factor in the country.
This is also supported by the fact that the Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, distanced itself from Foreign Minister Arghchi. Platform X said that Iranian society had been plunged into an atmosphere of confusion following the foreign minister's unexpected post on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and Trump's subsequent nervous sabre-rattling.
Normally, the Supreme Leader has the last word on foreign and security policy. However, there have been no audio or video recordings of Moshtaba Khamenei since his appointment on March 8, and no one knows what his state of health is or what role he plays in the system.
The Strait of Hormuz is a bargaining chip for Iran
In normal times, around 20 percent of the world's oil trade is shipped through the strait. After the blockade began at the start of the war on February 28, prices shot up. The Strait of Hormuz is therefore a bargaining chip for Iran. The military and the political leadership are insisting on quid pro quo for an opening, making it clear that they will not allow the conditions to be dictated to them.
