{"id":61045,"date":"2026-04-18T10:38:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T14:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/oil-markets-braced-as-iran-threatens-strait-of-hormuz-closure-amid-u-s-naval-blockade\/61045\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T10:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T14:38:29","slug":"oil-markets-braced-as-iran-threatens-strait-of-hormuz-closure-amid-u-s-naval-blockade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/oil-markets-braced-as-iran-threatens-strait-of-hormuz-closure-amid-u-s-naval-blockade\/61045\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil Markets Braced as Iran Threatens Strait of Hormuz Closure Amid U.S. Naval Blockade"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Iran\u2019s National Security body warns it will close the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> if the U.S. maintains its naval blockade, labeling the blockade a <strong>violation of the existing ceasefire<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> reported &quot;very good conversations&quot;<\/strong> with Tehran but firmly stated the U.S. will not be <strong>&quot;blackmailed&quot;<\/strong> by threats to the world&#39;s most critical oil transit point.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hezbollah denied responsibility<\/strong> for a deadly attack on <strong>UNIFIL peacekeepers<\/strong> in southern Lebanon that resulted in the death of one French soldier.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pope Leo XIV downplayed a public feud<\/strong> with President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a>, clarifying that his recent remarks regarding &quot;tyrants&quot; during an Africa tour were not aimed at the U.S. administration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Nicaragua\u2019s Vice Minister of Interior<\/strong> for sanctions due to involvement in significant <strong>human rights violations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Iran Standoff Threatens Global Energy Supply<\/h2>\n<p>Tensions in the Middle East reached a critical flashpoint Saturday as <strong>Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council<\/strong> declared that any continued U.S. naval blockade would be treated as a <strong>violation of the ceasefire<\/strong>. Tehran warned that it would prevent even the &quot;conditional and limited opening&quot; of the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> as long as the blockade remains in effect. <em>Energy markets are reacting with heightened volatility as traders weigh the risk of a total shutdown of a waterway that handles roughly 20% of the world&#39;s oil consumption.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> addressed the situation Saturday morning, stating that while <strong>&quot;very good conversations&quot;<\/strong> are ongoing, the U.S. will not yield to pressure. &quot;Iran can\u2019t blackmail us,&quot; Trump told reporters, adding that he expects to have more information regarding the status of negotiations by the <strong>end of the day<\/strong>. Major energy firms including ExxonMobil (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>) and Chevron (<a href=\"\/stock\/CVX\">CVX<\/a>) are monitoring the situation closely, as any prolonged closure could send crude prices toward record highs.<\/p>\n<h2>Hezbollah Denies UNIFIL Attack Amid Fragile Ceasefire<\/h2>\n<p>In Lebanon, <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> issued a formal statement <strong>denying responsibility<\/strong> for an attack on <strong>UNIFIL<\/strong> soldiers that killed one French peacekeeper and wounded three others. The denial comes after French President <strong>Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> suggested the militant group was likely behind the &quot;deliberate&quot; ambush. <em>The incident threatens to destabilize a fragile regional truce and has increased the risk profile for defense contractors like Lockheed Martin (<a href=\"\/stock\/LMT\">LMT<\/a>) and Northrop Grumman (<a href=\"\/stock\/NOC\">NOC<\/a>) operating in the region.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lebanese authorities have been urged by the international community to launch an immediate investigation. The attack occurred during a <strong>route-clearing mission<\/strong> near a UNIFIL post that had been isolated by recent fighting. Despite the denial, the incident has heightened fears of a return to full-scale hostilities between <strong>Israel and Hezbollah<\/strong>, which would further complicate U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<h2>Pope Leo XIV Seeks to Defuse Trump Feud<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Pope Leo XIV<\/strong>, the first American-born pontiff, moved to de-escalate a public war of words with President Trump on Saturday. Speaking from his <strong>Africa tour<\/strong>, the Pope stated it was <strong>&quot;not in my interest&quot;<\/strong> to debate the President and emphasized that his mission is to promote a <strong>message of peace<\/strong>. He specifically clarified that his forceful remarks regarding &quot;tyrants&quot; were a general moral commentary and <strong>not aimed at Trump<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The clarification follows a week of stinging criticism from the White House, where Trump had labeled the Pope <strong>&quot;weak&quot;<\/strong> on foreign policy. <em>Political analysts suggest the Vatican\u2019s move to downplay the feud is an attempt to maintain moral authority without becoming a direct political antagonist in the U.S. domestic sphere.<\/em> The Pope reiterated that reporting on the supposed feud has not been <strong>&quot;accurate in all aspects.&quot;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>U.S. Expands Sanctions on Nicaraguan Officials<\/h2>\n<p>In a separate diplomatic move, Secretary of State <strong>Marco Rubio<\/strong> announced the designation of Nicaragua\u2019s <strong>Vice Minister of Interior<\/strong> for involvement in <strong>human rights violations<\/strong>. The sanctions are part of a broader U.S. strategy to pressure the <strong>Ortega-Murillo regime<\/strong> over its treatment of political prisoners and suppression of dissent.<\/p>\n<p>The designation freezes any U.S. assets held by the official and generally prohibits U.S. persons from dealing with them. <em>This move underscores the administration&#39;s &quot;maximum pressure&quot; approach toward authoritarian regimes in the Western Hemisphere, even as it manages multiple crises in the Middle East and Europe.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Iran\u2019s National Security body warns it will close the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. maintains its naval 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