Iran opens fire on tanker in Strait of Hormuz as Supreme Leader vows 'bitter defeats' for enemies

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and ELEANOR MANN 07:43 18 Apr 2026, updated 14:13 18 Apr 2026

Iran has opened fire on ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz after shutting the key waterway again, according to reports citing maritime sources, as tankers turned around and ran for cover.

At least two Indian merchant vessels reported being hit by gunfire as they attempted to pass through the narrow waterway on Saturday, three shipping and security sources told Reuters. 

The extent of the damage was not immediately clear. One of the vessels was carrying 2million barrels of Iraqi oil.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran's navy was ready to inflict 'new bitter defeats' on its enemies in a message posted on Telegram.

The convoy that had begun moving through the strait quickly scattered, with vessel tracking data showing ships dispersing after what had been the first major movement since the start of the war.

It came after Iran moved to re-start the blockade, saying the Strait of Hormuz had been shut once more after the US refused to lift what Tehran describes as a naval blockade of its ports. 

Donald Trump warned he could 'start dropping bombs again' if the fragile ceasefire collapses.

State broadcaster IRIB cited Iran's Central Military Headquarters as saying the waterway had been closed again after Washington 'did not fulfil its obligations', adding that passage would now require Iranian approval. 

The move follows Iran declaring the waterway 'completely open' just hours earlier, when a convoy of eight oil tankers passed through the Strait, according to vessel tracking data.

The brief reopening had lifted global markets on Friday, with oil prices falling after Tehran declared the Strait open. 

But Trump insisted a US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a deal is reached, prompting fresh warnings from Tehran it could shut the route again. 

Trump said on Saturday he is still weighing whether to extend the truce, warning military action remains on the table if talks fail.

He told News Nation's Kellie Meyer he might have to 'start dropping bombs again'.

He added: 'I think it's gonna happen,' referring to the ceasefire deal. 

Trump said Tehran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, a key sticking point in negotiations, but Iran pushed back, insisting its stockpile was not going anywhere. 

The closure of the Strait risks triggering fresh turmoil, with the waterway carrying around a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies. 

'With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,' parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X ahed of the recent closure. 

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman added: 'What they call a naval blockade will definitely be met with an appropriate response from Iran,' calling the move a violation of the ceasefire. 

US forces have so far directed 23 ships to turn around since the blockade began this week, according to the US Central Command.

Trump also mocked Western allies over plans to deploy a British and French-led naval taskforce to patrol the Strait of Hormuz. 

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron said on Friday they would send warships to help secure the key shipping route, which carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil.

But the US president dismissed the effort in a post on X, writing: 'I told them to stay away… They were useless when needed, a paper tiger.'

The sour notes came on a day that Trump had hailed as 'GREAT AND BRILLIANT,' with a series of social media posts praising talks mediator Pakistan and Gulf allies.

Despite the discord over the status of the strategic waterway, Pakistani leaders whose mediation led to historic face-to-face talks between Washington and Tehran envoys in Islamabad last week, pushed for the warring sides to finalize an agreement to end the war.

In his phone interview with AFP, Trump added: 'Looks like it's going to be very good for everybody. And we're very close to having a deal,' adding that there were 'no sticking points at all' left with Tehran.

That echoed the US president's earlier comments he would consider flying to Pakistan to sign any deal struck, raising hopes of another meeting in Islamabad after US Vice President JD Vance left last weekend after 21 hours of talks he said ultimately could not strike a permanent deal.

But casting a shadow of doubt, Trump reiterated on Saturday that he planned to maintain the US naval blockade if a peace deal with Iran were not reached, though he signalled he was open to extending the ceasefire with Iran after it expires on Wednesday.

'Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Oil prices had already fallen on hopes of a negotiated end to the conflict, and the drop accelerated on Friday, with stocks heading upwards as traders soaked up the optimism.

Late Friday, the US issued another waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products already at sea, a move likely to further soften oil prices by boosting supply on global markets.

The start of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday and the reopening of the strait marked progress in Washington's push for a broader deal to end its war with Iran, after Tehran insisted that halting the fighting between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah must be part of any larger agreement to end the regional conflict.

In Lebanon, displaced families began returning to their homes in bomb-damaged south Beirut and the country's war-ravaged southern towns.

'Our feelings are indescribable, pride and victory,' 37-year-old Amani Atrash said, adding that she hoped the ceasefire would be extended.

The fighting in Lebanon began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel days after the wider Middle East war began and in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Trump said Israel had been 'prohibited' by Washington from carrying out further strikes and that the United States would work with Lebanon 'and deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner.'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the campaign against Hezbollah was not over.

'We have not yet finished the job,' he said, adding that a key objective was the 'dismantling of Hezbollah'.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, warned it remained ready to respond to any Israeli violations.