Administration

Wright says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until Iran deal is reached

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by Max Rego - 04/19/26 10:10 AM ET

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by Max Rego - 04/19/26 10:10 AM ET

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Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will likely remain closed until the U.S. and Iran reach a deal to permanently end hostilities.

“After a deal is reached,” Wright told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when the latter asked when it will be safe for ships to pass through the critical chokepoint.

“It won’t be in the too-distant future,” the energy secretary added. “People are ready to go, ships are there. The United States put two warships through the straits. We can open it one way or the other, but the best way to do it is to have an end to the conflict and a defanged and dearmed Iran.”

When Tapper asked whether that will occur in the next two weeks, Wright replied, “That’s probably a reasonable timeframe, it’s not too far away.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Saturday it was resuming “strict” control over the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying the day prior that the waterway would remain open until the two-week ceasefire in fighting ends on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the IRGC cited the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of the strait in keeping restrictions on shipping in place.

Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also wrote Sunday on the social platform X that the U.S. blockade of the strait is “not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal.”

President Trump, meanwhile, accused Iran on Sunday of violating the ceasefire after the IRGC confirmedt fired at two vessels passing through the strait. The president wrote on his Truth Social platform that the vessels were a French ship and a British freighter.

When Tapper asked Wright if it is unsafe for ships to transit through the passageway, the energy secretary responded, “That is correct.”

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