The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Friday evening that the Strait of Hormuz would no longer remain fully open and that vessel passage would be determined “based on the ‘designated route’ and with ‘Iranian authorization.’”
Ghalibaf’s announcement marks a major reversal from early Friday morning, when both Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Donald Trump announced the strait would remain fully open for the remainder of the 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, which was agreed to on Thursday.
“The President of the United States made seven claims in one hour, all seven of which were false,” Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. “They did not win the war with these lies, and they will certainly not get anywhere in negotiations either. With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open.”
Ghalibaf did not specify which claims Trump made that the Iranians deem false, but his post on X came after Trump took several calls from U.S. reporters Friday evening and painted a positive picture of the peace talks.
The U.S. began its blockade of vessels sailing toward and leaving Iranian ports on Monday. Shortly after the president announced the Strait of Hormuz would remain open, he posted on Truth Social saying that the blockade on Iran would remain in place.
“THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE, BUT THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE,” the president wrote Friday morning.
Though Trump said the negotiation process would be complete “VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED,” Ghalibaf fired back in his Friday evening X post, threatening to reverse the diplomatic progress made over the strait.
“Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be conducted based on the ‘designated route’ and with ‘Iranian authorization.’” Ghalibaf wrote. “Whether the Strait is open or closed and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not by social media.”
Trump had forecasted his plan to continue the blockade on Wednesday, with a White House official telling the Washington Examiner he was “content” with leaving the blockade in place “until the Iranians show they are serious about making a deal.”
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Following the news of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday morning, WTI crude oil futures dropped about $10 per barrel, down to $85.57 at close. Ghalibaf’s Friday evening post came after the market closed, but it’s likely to throw a wrench in the already-volatile energy market.
The Washington Examiner has contacted the White House for comment.
