On 17 April 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that 'the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire.' The announcement sent oil prices tumbling more than 10 per cent and prompted US President Donald Trump to post a celebratory message on Truth Social, calling it 'a great and brilliant day for the world.'
What followed, however, exposed a fracture at the heart of Iran's power structure. Within hours of Araghchi's declaration, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy broadcast a starkly different message — directly on international maritime Channel 16, the emergency frequency monitored by all vessels at sea. According to maritime intelligence monitor The Hormuz Letter, the IRGC Navy publicly called Araghchi an 'idiot,' stating the strait 'is still closed' and that it 'will open by the order of our leader Imam Khamenei, not by the tweets of some idiot.' The broadcast further warned that 'all vessels that have a connection with our enemies will be targeted if they try to pass.'
Ships Turned Back, Tankers Left Stranded
The IRGC's broadcast had immediate consequences on the water. The master of the VLCC tanker Sanmar Herald was recorded on radio begging the IRGC Navy to let it proceed, insisting it had been given clearance.
The vessel's distress call, shared by maritime tracking firm TankerTrackers.com, underscored just how chaotic the situation had become for shipping operators trying to act on Araghchi's declaration.
The Iranian announcement that the strait was again closed was followed by a stream of vessels turning around to avoid transiting it. A separate radio exchange, shared by open-source intelligence monitor MenchOsint, captured the Iranian Navy telling a cargo ship: 'There is no permission for you to cross the strait.'
The UKMTO Operations Centre also issued Warning 037-26, alerting the maritime community after a tanker reported being approached by two IRGC gunboats that opened fire — with no prior VHF challenge. No injuries were reported from that incident.
In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 17, 2026
Tehran Divided Against Itself
The public contradiction between Araghchi and the IRGC was not limited to the waterway itself. The IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency said that Araghchi had published a 'bad and incomplete tweet' that created unnecessary ambiguity about the reopening of the strait.
Tasnim added that the post lacked 'any verbal explanation or at least sufficient written clarification,' which it said amounted to 'complete poor judgment in communication.'
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf compounded the confusion further. Qalibaf posted on X that if the US blockade continued, 'the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,' making clear that any reopening was entirely conditional.
A Ceasefire Announcement That Pleased No One
A spokesperson for Iran's president, Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaei, contradicted Trump's announcements on the Hormuz reopening, calling them 'baseless statements of the enemy' aimed at stripping Iranians of 'their sense of pride.' Tabatabaei insisted that any reopening was 'solely an Iranian initiative' and a conditional one at that.
BREAKING: The IRGC Navy is publicly calling Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi an "idiot" on international maritime Channel 16, broadcasting that the Strait of Hormuz "is still closed" and "we will open it by the order of our leader Imam Khamenei, not by the tweets of some idiot."… pic.twitter.com/abYKpZY9R5
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) April 18, 2026
In a statement, Maersk said it had 'noted the announcement,' adding that 'since the outbreak of the conflict, we have followed the guidance of our security partners in the region, and the recommendation so far has been to avoid transiting the Strait of Hormuz.'
Ship tracking data from Kpler's MarineTraffic dashboard showed that despite Araghchi's declaration, no oil tankers had exited the Persian Gulf. Only five cargo ships made it through to the Gulf of Oman.
Araghchi has not issued a further public statement clarifying the scope of his original post. The IRGC has not publicly retracted its Channel 16 broadcast. The two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran is due to expire on 21 April.
