Iran has said that control over the Strait of Hormuz has “returned to its previous state” amid an ongoing dispute with the United States over a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Axar.az informs, citing The Guardian, that in a statement carried by Iranian media, Iran’s military operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya, described the U.S. blockade as “piracy.”

“For this reason, control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under the strict management and control of the armed forces,” the statement said.

It added that “until the U.S. restores full freedom of navigation for vessels traveling from Iran to their destinations and returning to Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled and in its previous state.”

It should be noted that Iran had previously announced that the Strait of Hormuz was fully open to commercial traffic until the ceasefire ends. The United States welcomed the move but did not lift the blockade on the strait.