Strait of Hormuz Remains Tense Despite US-Iran Ceasefire and Opening Proclamation

A fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, announced on April 8, 2026, has left the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial shipping despite Donald Trump's claim that the waterway had been "completely, immediately, and securely" reopened. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that shipping traffic remains subject to "technical restrictions and coordination with the Iranian armed forces," and ships are required to obtain authorization from the Sepah Navy before attempting passage. A crew member of a vessel in the strait told the Wall Street Journal that a radio warning had been broadcast: any ship attempting to pass without permission would be destroyed. According to the ship tracking service MarineTraffic, some initial signs of vessel movement in the strait were observed, but traffic remained far below normal levels. The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ended a six-week conflict that began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran.

Shipping giants refuse Iranian transit fees, demand real guarantees Major international shipping companies have declined to resume normal operations through the strait, citing the absence of credible security guarantees and rejecting Iranian demands for transit fees. Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson Leon Schulz stated that an announcement on Truth Social was not sufficient reassurance for the company to risk its employees' lives.

„The news is welcome. At the moment, however, we lack reliable safety guarantees to sail through again. For us, an announcement on Truth Social is not enough.” — Leon Schulz via 20 Minuten

Schulz added that payment of transit fees was "out of the question," and denied earlier reports that one of the company's ships had already paid. Maersk, the world's second-largest container shipping company by transport volume, told Reuters that a return to normal operations was not planned, describing its stance as "cautious" and noting that the ceasefire did not yet offer sufficient security guarantees. The company currently has ten ships in the Gulf. The Association of German Shipowners warned against premature optimism, telling the Bild newspaper that the situation remained tense as long as details were unavailable and safety was not guaranteed. Jennifer Parker, an adjunct professor at the Defence and Security Institute of the University of Western Australia, noted that tanker owners, insurers, and crews needed to believe that risk had actually decreased — not merely been suspended — before global shipping flows could be restored.

US military admits limited role as Iran keeps its leverage The gap between Trump's public claims and the operational reality on the water was underscored by an admission from United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who acknowledged at a press conference that American forces were currently acting only in an observer role in the region. Iran expert Trita Parsi told Al Jazeera that the failed use of force had weakened the credibility of American military threats.

„Trump's failed use of force has weakened the credibility of US military threats. The US can continue to threaten, but after a failed war, such threats sound hollow. Washington can no longer dictate the terms — an agreement will require real compromises.” — Trita Parsi via Al Jazeera

Spiegel Online correspondent Bernhard Zand, reporting from Dubai, described the ceasefire announcement as bringing enormous relief to residents of Gulf states, but noted that their governments were deeply dissatisfied with the outcome.

„What we have now instead is exactly this fragile, provisional armistice, actually only a ceasefire, which is exactly what the Gulf states did not want.” — Bernhard Zand via Spiegel Online

Zand raised the question of whether Iran, having demonstrated its ability to weaponize control of the strait, would deploy that leverage again in future negotiations. The International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated he was working with relevant parties to establish a mechanism for safe passage, but no timeline was given. Shipping circles told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the first vessels that attempted to leave the Gulf on Wednesday were turned back, and that passage remained conditional on Iranian approval and payment of a toll.

Ceasefire talks set for Islamabad, but Iran's ten-point plan raises doubts Negotiations toward a final agreement are set to take place in Islamabad, where representatives of the United States and Iran are expected to meet under Pakistani mediation on April 10, 2026. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued the invitation on the social media platform X, calling on both sides to attend. Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor James Bays reported on the contents of Iran's ten-point plan, which he described as making a final agreement difficult to imagine. The ceasefire faces additional pressure from ongoing Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Iran's state broadcaster Fars reporting that Tehran temporarily halted transit through the strait in protest at those attacks — only two oil tankers passed before traffic was stopped again. Energy specialist Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz of the US energy think tank IEEFA cautioned that European gas markets should not mistake short-term price relief for permanent stability, adding that Qatar had indicated repair work and restoration of supply could take years.

„The ceasefire is to be welcomed, but European gas markets should not mistake the short-term relief in prices for permanent stability.” — Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz via stern.de

The Strait of Hormuz has been a focal point of US-Iran tensions for decades. The current conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran in what was designated Operation Epic Fury, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. Iran responded by closing the strait to commercial shipping, cutting off a waterway through which a significant share of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits to global markets.

10 (ships) — Maersk vessels currently positioned in the Persian Gulf

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