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NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-18-2026 9AM EDT

18 Apr 2026

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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

What recent developments have occurred in the Strait of Hormuz?

0.79 - 18.988 Windsor Johnston

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Iran's military says restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz are being reimposed, accusing the U.S. of repeated breaches of trust. A tanker has reported coming under fire today from Iranian forces while traveling through the waterway.

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19.629 - 27.557 Windsor Johnston

NPR's Quill Lawrence reports the status of the strait has been shifting rapidly as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue.

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27.537 - 45.325 Quill Lawrence

Yesterday, there was a ceasefire announced between Israel and Lebanon. Iran then announced it would open the strait for commercial traffic for the duration of that ceasefire, though only along this prescribed route close to the Iranian coast. But then the U.S. said it would still maintain its total blockade of Iranian ports while these peace talks continue.

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45.866 - 54.54 Quill Lawrence

And perhaps in response today, Iran's military said that the strait, no, is closed until the U.S. lifts the blockade. So it's been a confusing 24 hours.

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54.52 - 76.542 Windsor Johnston

That's NPR's Quill Lawrence reporting. There's no word on when peace talks will continue between the two sides. The U.S. Treasury Department says it's extending a one-month pause on sanctions against Russian oil to tamp down global energy prices amid the war with Iran. The decision reverses an announcement earlier this week by Treasury Secretary Scott Besant ruling out such a move.

77.002 - 79.785 Windsor Johnston

NPR's Charles Maines reports from Moscow.

79.867 - 95.841 Charles Maines

The Trump administration first introduced the sanctions waiver in March, part of an attempt to level out global energy prices amid the war in Iran. The policy's extension effectively allows countries to legally purchase previously sanctioned Russian oil for the second month in a row. The Kremlin's U.S.

95.941 - 109.744 Charles Maines

envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said the move amounted to an acknowledgement of the crucial role of Russian energy in maintaining the stability of the global economy. Dmitriev predicted more than 100 million additional barrels of Russian oil would soon reach global markets. Critics of the U.S.

109.784 - 119.88 Charles Maines

sanctions waiver say it provides the Kremlin with a windfall for its war in Ukraine in a moment when the Russian economy had otherwise been struggling. Charles Baines, NPR News, Moscow.

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