The Iranian regime said early Saturday that it is resuming "strict" control over the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.'s naval blockade in the critical trading corridor and as the fragile two-week ceasefire nears its end.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the strait would return to its "previous state" and will be "under the strict management and control" of their military forces.
"It is announced that until the US ends its obstruction of the full freedom of movement of vessels from and to Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under strict control and in its previous state," an IRGC spokesperson said in a statement posted on social platform X.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center also reported that two IRGC gun boats opened fire on a tanker traveling through the strait. The British agency said the tanker and its crew were safe after this incident.
The IRGC confirmed Saturday that it fired at two vessels in the waterway that "tried to bypass Iran's authority." This comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the strait was "completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire" for all commercial ships.
President Trump celebrated Abbas's announcement, but said the U.S.'s naval blockade would remain in "full force" until a deal is reached.
Trump imposed the military intervention in the strait this past week after Tehran announced new tolls on oil-carrying ships traveling through the waterway.
The effective closure of the trading corridor has had a significant impact on global energy markets, as around a fifth of the world's global oil consumption flows through the strait daily under normal conditions.
These hiked costs have impacted the U.S. economy, sending the inflation rate soaring and driving up average gas prices to over $4 a gallon.
The Trump administration has dismissed concerns about rising energy costs as short-term pains, with the president citing ongoing negotiations with Iran. The two countries have engaged in discussions mediated by Pakistan during the temporary truce.
If the delegations fail to reach a deal by the ceasefire's expiration date next week, Trump indicated on Friday that the U.S. could launch new airstrikes on the country. However, he expressed optimism that the two sides would reach a deal within the timeframe.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said he is "very hopeful" about the trajectory of these talks after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a temporary ceasefire under pressure from Iran.
"We are hoping and still working in the background that we should bridge the gap of certain couple of things, which are pending and one of the issues was also Lebanon," Dar said during an event in Turkey on Friday. "Lebanon, we have good news that there's a ceasefire."