IRGC Reverses Hormuz Opening, Fires on Tanker; Trump Threatens to "Drop Bombs Again"

Iran's IRGC declares the Strait of Hormuz has "reverted to its previous state" and fires on a tanker, accusing the US of "piracy and maritime theft" for continuing its port blockade; Trump threatens to restart bombing if no peace deal is reached by April 22.

Less than 24 hours after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz "completely open," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reversed course on April 18, 2026. The IRGC's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command declared that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has reverted to its previous state" — placing the waterway back under strict IRGC management — after the United States confirmed its naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in effect despite the Hormuz opening. The IRGC accused the US of "acts of piracy and maritime theft" and warned no further concessions would be made while the blockade continued. IRGC gunboats opened fire on at least one tanker attempting to transit the strait, forcing it to turn back. Ship-tracking firm Kpler confirmed multiple vessels had reversed course without successfully exiting the waterway. Iranian National Security Commission head Ebrahim Azizi accused President Trump of deliberately "misleading public opinion" by creating the impression of deal progress on social media when talks remained deadlocked. Iran's Foreign Ministry separately said Iran had been "approached" for new talks but disputed Trump's characterization of their content. Trump escalated in parallel: posting on Truth Social that the US would "unfortunately have to start dropping bombs again" if no deal was completed before April 22 — the date the two-week US-Iran ceasefire is set to expire. The warnings from both sides raised alarm that the 48-hour diplomatic opening following the Lebanon ceasefire had collapsed, returning the conflict to its most dangerous trajectory since the Islamabad talks failed.