TEHRAN, April 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran will block military vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a military official quoted by state television said on Friday, after the Islamic republic announced the crucial waterway would reopen to commercial shipping.

"The passage of military vessels through the Strait of Hormuz remains prohibited," a senior military official told state television, adding that civilian vessels would have to transit the waterway through designated routes and with permission of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy.