The US and Iran are both considering their next moves as the deadlock over the key shipping route continues
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenCarol Yangin BeijingPublished: 8:30am, 18 May 2026The deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz was one of the key issues discussed during the summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping last week.As the impasse continues, here is where things stand.
Tehran is moving to formalise its control over the strait with a “professional mechanism” to regulate shipping.
“The necessary fees will be collected for the specialised services provided under this mechanism,” Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, wrote on social media on Saturday.
He said only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit, adding: “This route will remain closed to the operators of the so‑called ‘freedom project’.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a Brics meeting in India on Friday that Tehran had received messages that the Trump administration was open to fresh talks, Agence France-Presse reported.
