Updated April 18, 2026 at 7:06 AM MDT
Iran said Saturday it had reinstated control of the Strait of Hormuz, and was reversing course on its decision to reopen the critical waterway until the United States completely lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.
The announcement came the morning after President Donald Trump had said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will remain and attacks could resume if no agreement is reached before the current ceasefire with Iran expires next week.
Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One Friday night about what he will do if there's no deal before the ceasefire expires, Trump said: "I don't know. Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won't extend it, so you'll have a blockade and unfortunately we'll have to start dropping bombs again."
Trump was on his way back to Washington, after appearing at Turning Point USA's "Build the Red Wall" rally in Phoenix, AZ. Despite hinting at the possibility of resuming attacks on Iran, Trump also told reporters "I think it's going to happen," referring to a deal.
Also on Friday, hours after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial ships, the Treasury Department said it would extend its pause on sanctions on Russian oil shipments to ease shortages caused by the Iran war. As recently as Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had ruled out such a move.
Here are further updates in the Middle East conflict:
Strait of Hormuz | World leaders on ceasefire | Lebanon reactions
Iran fires at tanker in Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization, which monitors maritime security activity around the Strait of Hormuz, said it had received a report that a tanker near the strait was attacked by two Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gun boats.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which happened hours after Iran said the strait was now under "strict control" until the U.S. agreed to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The decision reverses earlier announcements from Iranian officials and President Trump on Friday that the strait had reopened – announcements that had sent oil prices tumbling and stock markets rebounding.
The latest announcement from Iran that it had again closed the strait reignited concerns about how shipments would get through the narrow waterway, through which about 20% of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes.
Oil prices tumbled and stock markets rallied on the announcement the strait was open for commercial ships.
France says Hezbollah killed UN peacekeeper in Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday accused the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah of killing a French UN peacekeeper in Lebanon, just one day into a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
"Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban fell this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL," Macron wrote on X, adding that three additional soldiers had been injured as well.
"Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah. France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest the perpetrators and take their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL."
Hezbollah did not immediately comment.
The accusation against Hezbollah came just over a day into the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which President Trump had hailed as a "historic day" for Lebanon.
He later issued his strongest public comments demanding that Israel uphold the agreement, after urging the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah to do so.
"Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.
On Thursday night, he wrote: "I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be [a] GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire could open the door to a broader agreement with Lebanon, but made clear Israel would not withdraw from what he described as an expanded 10-kilometer-deep security buffer zone in southern Lebanon. He also said any talks would hinge on Hezbollah's disarmament.
Lebanon's prime minister, Nawaf Salam, called the agreement a central Lebanese demand since the start of the war and said he hoped displaced residents would be able to return home soon.
Trump on Thursday also said he was inviting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for peace talks.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he welcomed the ceasefire and urged all sides to respect it fully, adding he hoped it would lead to negotiations toward a long term solution.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is credited for mediating the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, also welcomed the truce, calling it a step toward "sustainable peace" and reaffirmed his country's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, urged people displaced by the fighting not to rush back to southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs until the situation becomes clearer. The Israeli military also warned Lebanese residents not to return to their villages yet for their safety.
Hezbollah said in a separate statement any ceasefire must apply across Lebanese territory and warned that any continued Israeli presence would leave Lebanon with the right to resist depending on how events unfold.
Hezbollah has both a political wing, with several lawmakers in Lebanon's national parliament, and militia that operates largely independently of the Lebanese government and receives funding and direction from Iran.
Lebanon's government has pushed for a ceasefire before entering bigger diplomatic negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah opposes the talks.
Israel had agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon in 2024, but U.N. peacekeepers recorded more than 10,000 violations of that agreement, mostly by Israeli forces.
Thousands in Lebanon head home despite warnings
Thousands of people displaced by fighting in Lebanon in recent weeks began heading home Friday, hours after the ceasefire with Israel took effect, despite warnings from Hezbollah, Lebanese government officials and the Israeli military that it was still too dangerous to return home.
The war has displaced around 1.2 million people in Lebanon, according to United Nations and Lebanese figures, and many are now going back to assess the damage of their homes.
Hussein Farhat, a shopkeeper from Beirut's southern suburbs — a Hezbollah stronghold that was repeatedly targeted in Israeli strikes — told NPR he was thinking about going home to check on his shop, but wouldn't move back until the fighting came to a permanent end.
"You feel a heartbreak just visiting your home and neighborhood and then you leave," he said. "It's heartbreaking."
Israeli forces have destroyed more than 40,000 homes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials, taking over whole villages to create what Israel says is a "security buffer zone" to keep Hezbollah from firing rockets into Israel.
The latest round of fighting began after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
In his remarks shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Netanyahu made clear Israel did not intend to withdraw soon, saying "we are not leaving."
In a lengthy statement on Friday, the Israeli prime minister's office said, "The road to peace is still long, but we have begun it." It added, "One of our hands holds a weapon; our other hand is extended in peace."
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