Iran just pulled one of the most provocative moves of the entire conflict. Less than 24 hours after declaring the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reversed course completely. They slammed the strait shut, then opened fire on ships trying to pass through. President Trump wasted no time. He convened an emergency Situation Room meeting Saturday morning with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and his entire national security team. His message to Tehran was blunt: “They can’t blackmail us.” Here’s the latest: Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, calling the decision a response to a continued blockade of its ports by the US https://t.co/Wdw7KKtd6w pic.twitter.com/mgyoJePIMN— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 18, 2026 The reversal caught the world completely off guard. Iran had just reopened the strait as part of the Lebanon ceasefire deal, and commercial ships were already transiting safely. Then within hours, IRGC gunboats were firing on tankers. Two ships reported being attacked on Saturday. Revolutionary Guard gunboats opened fire on an Indian-flagged tanker reportedly carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil. A separate container vessel was hit by an unknown projectile about 25 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. PBS News reported on the escalation: The Revolutionary Guard warned that “no vessel should make any movement from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered as cooperation with the enemy.” The strait carries roughly one-fifth of global oil trade. The closure threatened to deepen the global energy crisis and push countries toward renewed conflict in the eighth week of war. India’s foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador after Iran fired on two India-flagged merchant ships, despite previously allowing India-bound vessels through. The timing here could not be worse. The Lebanon ceasefire is set to expire in just three days. And there is no confirmed date for a new round of negotiations. I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated. Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he… https://t.co/SxWCKyhDSj— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 18, 2026 Axios had the exclusive details on the emergency meeting: President Trump convened a White House Situation Room meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the renewed crisis around the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations with Iran. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine all attended. Iran’s Saturday announcement about the renewed closure, as well as multiple attacks on vessels in the waterway, came less than 24 hours after Trump publicly suggested that a deal to end the war could happen “within a day or two.” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the U.S. presented new proposals during talks, and that Iran is reviewing them, but has not yet responded. Trump told reporters that Iran “got a little cute” but that “very good” conversations were still happening. The world’s most critical oil chokepoint is now a war zone. Twenty percent of the world’s seaborne oil passes through those waters. And President Trump has made it crystal clear that the United States will not be intimidated.