Strait of Hormuz traffic to follow Iran-designated route under Iranian coordination: FM spox

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, says maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz must strictly follow routes designated by Tehran and operate under full Iranian coordination.

Speaking in a live televised interview on Friday, Baghaei reiterated that any continued "maritime blockade" by the United States would be met with a decisive reciprocal response.

"The naval blockade by the United States is considered a violation of the ceasefire, and Iran will take the necessary reciprocal actions."

Baghaei said that if Washington chooses “to act in bad faith—as they seemingly intend to do—and should the naval blockade persist, the Islamic Republic of Iran will undoubtedly take reciprocal actions.”

“Iran is the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz” and will show "no leniency" in defending its rights, he added.

The foreign ministry spokesman also urged the public to ignore the "media games" and contradictory statements made by US President Donald Trump.

Baghaei was referring to a series of posts on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, which signaled potential US backtracking on the negotiated agreements with Tehran.

Contrary to the US president's claims, the reopening of the Strait is explicitly tied to the cessation of Israeli aggression on Lebanon.

Tehran had previously closed the vital chokepoint to adversaries and their allies as a strategic maneuver during 40 days of illegal US-Israeli aggression that began on February 28.

On April 8, Washington formally accepted Iran’s 10-point proposal, which demanded ceasefires on all fronts, including Lebanon.

When the US briefly backtracked under intense Israeli lobbying—resulting in a tragic massacre of over 300 people across Lebanon—Iran maintained a steadfast posture.

But more than a week into the agreement, the ceasefire was fully implemented in Lebanon on April 16.

Earlier on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the conditional resumption of maritime operations, asserting that traffic would safely resume strictly under Iranian oversight.

Baghaei highlighted the decision to partially open the strategic waterway is part of the agreements made on April 8.

In response to Trump’s contradictory remarks, Iran’s presidential office also said that the “conditional and limited” opening of the waterway is exclusively an Iranian initiative designed to create responsibility and serve as a test of Washington's definitive obligations.

Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy for Communications and Information at the Presidential Office, said Trump’s contradictory remarks are aimed at downplaying Iran's recent triumphs against US and Israeli aggression. In response to an initial US failure to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran kept the strait firmly closed.

Tehran threatened to boycott talks in Islamabad if the devastating attacks were not immediately scaled back, a firm ultimatum that successfully forced Washington to press Israel into compliance and finally led to Trump's midnight ceasefire announcement.

A high-ranking Pakistani delegation recently met with Iranian officials, reportedly carrying a message from the US amid attempts to coordinate a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington.

However, following a stalled first round that ended without tangible results due to Washington’s excessive demands, Iran has made it clear that any future progress relies entirely on the US honoring its agreements.

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