Iran says Hormuz won't stay open if US blockade continues

Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz again if the US blockade of Iranian ports continues.

Also in today's programme: the French National Assembly has passed a new law promising the return of tens of thousands of stolen African artworks. Marie-Cécile Zinsou, a French-Beninese art historian, shares her thoughts on the new law; and the continuing debate on Christopher Columbus' birthplace.

Presenter Gary O'Donoghue is joined by Anna Matveeva, Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Russia Institute at King's College London, and Chietigj Bajpaee, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia at the international affairs think tank Chatham House.

Photo: A drone view shows the Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I arriving in Iraq’s territorial waters off Basra. 17 April 2026. Reuters/ Mohammed Aty