Ships report attacks as Strait of Hormuz recloses
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2026
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Iran's navy says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US blockade on Iranian ports is lifted. It says the continuing US blockade is a "breach of the ceasefire" and warns that ships approaching the vital shipping channel "will be targeted". We hear from our Chief International Correspondent in Tehran. Also on the programme: the ongoing row over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as UK ambassador to Washington; and tributes are being paid to one of France's most celebrated film stars, Nathalie Baye, who's died at the age of 77. (Photo: A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province on April 12, 2026. Credit: Reuters)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.2 | This is the BBC World Service. Welcome to News Hour, live from London. I'm Paul Henley. |
| 0:15.8 | Iran's military has said the Strait of Hormuz, which is critically important for the global supply of oil and gas, |
| 0:22.6 | is closed again. There was optimism yesterday when Iran announced it was reopening |
| 0:27.4 | and President Trump celebrated a breakthrough. But he then said that he was continuing his |
| 0:33.4 | blockade of Iranian ports. In Iran's latest statement, accuses the US of piracy, |
| 0:39.2 | saying that its so-called blockade amounted to maritime robbery. |
| 0:44.0 | The White House still insists it's on the verge of a final peace deal. |
| 0:47.3 | Within the past couple of hours, |
| 0:48.9 | the Speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohamed Baga Galibaf, spoke to Iranian TV. |
| 0:58.6 | Tangay, der control of the strait as long as |
| 1:08.3 | the U.S. continued to impose a blockade. |
| 1:16.5 | Let's hear live from our chief international correspondent, Lee's Ducet, who's in the capital, Tehran. |
| 1:19.6 | Lees, what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz? |
| 1:21.8 | Well, not a lot, it seems. As you just mentioned, the Speaker of the Parliament, the man who's now heading the negotiating team on Baga Ghalibov, made it absolutely clear. |
| 1:31.7 | The Strait is under their control. |
| 1:35.1 | And he warned the United States not to advance any further. |
| 1:41.0 | And there was an incident earlier where two Indian flag vessels did approach the area and |
| 1:47.3 | they were fired on. Iran hasn't officially responded to those reports. We do know that the Iranian |
| 1:55.0 | ambassador in Delhi was called in for discussions. So we're back to square one, basically, |
| 2:02.6 | where you have the straits, which is essentially controlled, |
| 2:06.6 | blockaded by Iran and the United States, |
... |
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