Iran's Revolutionary Guard Says Strait of Hormuz Blockade Will Be Lifted Only If the U.S. Does So First

[The Financial News]  
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on the 18th local time that it would lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz only if the United States of America (the U.S.) first lifts its blockade on Iranian ports in the strait.
Iran had said on the 17th that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would lift the blockade of the strait, but the IRGC announced a renewed blockade on the 18th.
According to CNN, the IRGC Navy made the statement in a Telegram post that day.
The statement warned that "ships approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be regarded as cooperating with the enemy" and that "any vessel that violates the order will be targeted."
Iran abruptly announced a renewed blockade of the strait that morning, saying the U.S. was "repeatedly breaking trust" in the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides.
The IRGC declared, "The enemies of the U.S. have violated the ceasefire agreement and have not lifted the naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports. Therefore, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed from tonight until the U.S. blockade is lifted."
The IRGC also warned that ships currently anchored in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman must not leave their berths.
It also told ships and shipowners to follow Iran's instructions, claiming that the U.S. president has "no credibility."
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran and chief negotiator, condemned the U.S. blockade of Iran in a statement released through Iranian state media as a "malicious and ignorant decision."
Ghalibaf said flatly, "If we cannot pass through the strait, it is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz."
dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter