The Strait of Hormuz remained closed on Sunday (April 19, 2026) in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran’s powerful Speaker of Parliament signalling a final peace deal was “far” off despite movement in negotiations.

As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in Pakistan that failed to reach a deal, Iran said it would not reopen the crucial maritime trade route until the United States ended its blockade of Iranian ports.

China and Pakistan on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) put forward a five-point peace proposal to end the West Asia war, including a call for safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The peace proposal was put forward after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the Iran situation with visiting Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Mr. Dar arrived in Beijing to brief Mr. Wang about his recent talks with the Foreign Ministers of Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to promote talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.

After Dar-Wang talks, the two countries put forward five proposals on restoring peace and stability in the Gulf region and West Asia, as well as safe passage through the Strait.

The proposals included the immediate cessation of hostilities, initiation of peace talks as soon as possible, ensuring the safety of non-military targets and safety of navigation, and safeguarding the primacy of the UN Charter.

The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy, a joint statement issued after their talks said.

China and Pakistan on Strait of Hormuz

“China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible,” Pakistani media reported, quoting the joint statement.

Earlier, China said three of its ships carrying oil supplies had passed through the Strait of Hormuz and thanked relevant parties for facilitation and coordination.

After coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese ships recently transited the Strait of Hormuz. We express appreciation for the assistance of relevant parties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing in Beijing, without naming Iran, which is currently controlling the movement of oil shipments from the Gulf crossing the Strait.

Iran is demanding international recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz and waters nearby are an important route for international goods and energy trade. China calls for an immediate end to hostilities to restore peace and stability in the Gulf, Mr. Mao said.

This is the first time China, a large importer of Iranian oil for years despite U.S. sanctions, spoke of its ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz amid reports that Iran is permitting Chinese ships to cross the Strait given the close strategic ties.

Ever since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, China has been calling on all countries to immediately stop military operations.

Beijing has also been calling for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, as its closure resulted in widespread disruption of fuel supplies.

While condemning the attacks on Iran, China is also preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit scheduled for May 14-15, during which expectations are high to finalise a trade deal between the two countries.

The U.S. Navy, perhaps ‌with an international coalition, will escort ​vessels through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz when it is militarily possible, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky News ‌in an interview on Thursday (March 12, 2026).

“My belief, that as soon as ‌it is militarily possible, the U.S. ‌Navy, ⁠perhaps with an international ⁠coalition, will be escorting vessels through,” Mr. Bessent said.

Iran-Israel war LIVE

The plan to escort ships would go ​ahead as soon ‌as the U.S. has “complete control of the skies and … (Iran’s) rebuilding capabilities for the missiles completely degraded,” he ‌said.

U.S. and Israeli strikes on ​Iran and the subsequent response by Tehran have widened regional ⁠tensions and paralyzed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting vital oil and gas flows in West Asia and sending energy prices higher.

Raising the stakes for the global economy, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it will block oil shipments ‌from the Gulf unless the U.S. and Israeli ​attacks cease.

“There are, in fact, tankers coming through now, ⁠Iranian tankers, I believe some Chinese flag ⁠tankers have come through. So we know that they have ‌not mined the straits,”Mr. Bessent said.

‘No price would make Iran war unaffordable’

Mr. Bessent said “absolutely not” ​when ⁠asked by Sky News on ‌whether there was a ‌price ‌that ⁠could cause ⁠him to confront President Donald Trump ​and say ‌the Iran war was no longer affordable.

On ‌Wednesday (March 11, 2026), Reuters ​reported officials from the ⁠Trump administration estimated during a ‌congressional briefing this week that the first six days of ‌the war on ​Iran had cost the United ⁠States at least $11.3 ⁠billion.

U.S. forces have destroyed 10 Iranian mine-laying vessels, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (March 11, 2026), warning Tehran of unprecedented military consequences if it targets the Strait of Hormuz.

His comments came after Tehran vowed that no Gulf oil would pass through the key waterway, with oil prices remaining highly volatile over the virtual halt of shipping in the strait.

Israel-Iran war LIVE

“I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

After several U.S. media outlets said Iran had either started or was on the verge of mining the Strait of Hormuz, Mr. Trump said he had no reports that such action had begun.

But he warned: “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

The United States would also use the missiles it had previously employed to blow up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters to “permanently eliminate” any mine-laying boat in the Gulf strait, Mr. Trump added. “They will be dealt with quickly and violently.”

Nearly a fifth of global oil production passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House said earlier that the United States has not escorted any oil tanker through the waterway, after the energy secretary’s social media account posted but then deleted a claim that it did so.

Trump’s administration has listed eliminating Iran’s navy as a key military objective of “Operation Epic Fury”, the joint U.S.-Israeli offensive launched against Iran on February 28.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards senior official said on Monday (March 2, 2026) that the Strait ​of Hormuz is closed and Iran will fire on any ship ‌trying to pass, Iranian media reported.

This is Iran’s most ​explicit warning since telling ships that it was closing ⁠the export route on Saturday (February 28, 2026), a move that threatens to choke a fifth of global oil flows and send crude prices sharply higher.

“The ‌strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the ‌regular navy will set those ships ablaze,” Ebrahim Jabari, ‌a ⁠senior adviser to the Guards commander-in-chief, said in ⁠remarks carried by state media.

The strait is the world’s most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, ​Iraq and the United ‌Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The closure was triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 seeking to topple its leaders, ‌with U.S. President Donald Trump offering Iranians help in ​ousting the ruling clerics.

In response, Iran fired several barrages of missiles at its Gulf neighbours hosting U.S. ⁠military bases such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Tehran also fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

About 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.

Oil markets have focused ‌on tensions between Tehran and its old foes, the U.S. and Israel, ​fearing that a full-blown conflict would disrupt supplies and destabilise the region.

The move also comes after ⁠global shipping had already experienced disruptions linked to drone and missile ⁠attacks carried out by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants. The group has targeted vessels in the Red Sea and ‌the Gulf of Aden since the war on Gaza broke out in 2023.