US President Donald Trump on the surface of the collected photo

WASHINGTON, United States, April 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Iran not to "blackmail" Washington with its flip-flopping on the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran declared the strategic waterway once again closed.

"We're talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again -- you know, as they've been doing for years -- and they can't blackmail us," Trump said at a White House event.

Trump said there would be "some information" about Iran later in the day, adding: "We're taking a tough stand."

Iran's military on Saturday declared the strait, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude and liquefied natural gas normally passes, was once again closed, a day after saying it was open.