After a two-week ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, Iran has not relaxed its control over the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 9, according to The Wall Street Journal, Iran has notified mediators that it will limit the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to about 12 per day and will charge a toll.

This move clearly exceeds the scope of the ceasefire agreement reached under Trump’s mediation, indicating that Tehran intends to formalize the temporary wartime control into a long-term management mechanism.

Iranian state media Press TV reported that the Strait of Hormuz has been fully closed, and all passing ships must coordinate with military forces to force non-compliant oil tankers to turn back.

According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, only four ships were permitted to pass on Wednesday, the fewest since April, whereas before the conflict, over 100 ships would pass daily.

Additionally, mediators and ship brokers revealed that Iran requires ships to agree on tolls in advance before passing, using this war to create new leverage and revenue sources.

However, with the US and Iran reaching a two-week ceasefire agreement on Tuesday, this arrangement has been institutionalized as a routine management practice.

This shift has also caused concern among Gulf oil-producing countries and European and Asian consumers dependent on these energy supplies, as most of their energy exports rely on this strait.

Overall, although the US continues to publicly advocate for the freedom and openness of the strait, Iran has shown no willingness to relax control. This move further underscores Iran’s determination to use the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic leverage.

Whether this incident will escalate depends on the US’s tolerance threshold for Iran’s behavior during the ceasefire, and whether Gulf countries and the international community can form an effective counterforce.

Therefore, if Iran continues to solidify control during the "ceasefire" window, the originally cooling-off agreement may instead become a trigger for the next round of escalation.