By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday came to grinding halt after Iran rolled back its decision to reopen the narrow Strait saying the US did not fulfil its obligations of removing naval blockade.
Iran’s move to close Hormuz created suspense over the Middle East crisis amid indications of fresh round of Pakistan-brokered negotiations in Islamabad.
Media reports said hundreds of tankers and other ships are still stuck inside the Gulf since the Iran war and subsequent ceasefire that had already cut global oil supply by 20% in the world’s biggest-ever supply disruption with India also facing the brunt of the war.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz hours after it opened it for non-military vehicles on Saturday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement that the decision has been taken as the US “did not fulfil their obligation” of removing the naval blockade. In a statement to Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, the IRGC said the US has “continued acts of piracy and maritime theft under the guise of a so-called blockade”.
A day after Israel and Lebanon reached ceasefire, Iran on Friday had announced that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen for all commercial vessels till the truce remains in place, a move that sent the global stock market rising sharply and oil prices crashing.
The announcement was met with immediate reactions from US President Donald Trump, who put out a “Thank You” post on this social media platform. “Iran has just announced that the strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring the crucial passageway as the “Strait of Iran”.
While Iran had prevented most ships from crossing the strait, US had also imposed a blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Trump also said he will consider visiting Pakistan if peace talks with Iran yielded a deal. “I would go to Pakistan. Pakistan has been great. They’ve been so good. If a deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go. The Field Marshal has been great. The Prime Minister has been really great,” Trump told reporters in Washington DC.