Iran foreign minister: strait of Hormuz now ‘completely open’ to commercial vessels | Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial shipping, Iran’s foreign minister said, boosting hopes for an eventual end to the war in the Middle East and sending oil prices plunging despite analysts’ warnings that there would be no immediate widespread resumption of navigation through the vital waterway.

In his social media posts on Friday, Donald Trump claimed that Iran had agreed to never close the strategic waterway again and said, “IT’S A GREAT AND GREAT DAY FOR THE WORLD!”

However, Abbas Araghchi’s promise was met with only qualified support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which strengthened its already strong authority in Tehran during the war.

Trump also said Iran agreed to suspend its nuclear program indefinitely and would not receive frozen funds from the United States. In an interview with BloombergHe said talks on a deal to end the war would “probably” take place this weekend.

Separately, the US president told Reuters that Washington would work with Iran to recover enriched uranium, which it calls “nuclear dust”, and that it would be taken at a “nice, slow pace” and transported to the US. Iranian officials have not commented on the claim, but Tehran has long maintained that its right to enrich uranium domestically is sacred.

Aragchi’s announcement that the strait had been “declared completely open” came as Lebanon entered the first full day of a new 10-day ceasefire that has partially paused fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah Islamist militant movement and provided fragile relief in parts of the country after weeks of brutal Israeli airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians.

Trump stated that he would stop Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and claimed, “They were BANNED from doing so by the USA.”

Minutes before this post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uploaded a video to his official YouTube page stating that Israel is not done with Hezbollah yet. “We are not done yet. There are things we plan to do against the remaining rocket threat and drone threat,” Netanyahu said.

Reports soon emerged that one person had been killed in southern Lebanon in an Israeli drone strike. The Israeli defense minister insisted that the Israeli Armed Forces have not withdrawn from the country and that military operations can continue.

Iranian state television quoted a senior military official as saying that commercial ships will be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz only along a certain route and with the permission of the Revolutionary Guard navy.

Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports and shipping will continue for now and that few ships can risk passing through the strait in such uncertain conditions, meaning a return to normal is still far away.

“The naval blockade will remain in full force as it concerns Iran only until our agreement with Iran is 100% complete,” the US president said in a post on the Truth Social network, adding that “this process must proceed very quickly.”

In Paris, representatives of nearly 40 countries met at a conference co-chaired by France and Britain to discuss an international plan to secure the strait, which carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies before the conflict.

The closure of the strait by Iran shortly after the conflict began sent oil prices soaring, increasing inflation and threatening a deep economic crisis that could trigger recessions around the world.

French president Emmanuel Macron said Aragchi’s statement was welcomed and called for “full, unconditional reopening by all parties”. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said any proposal to reopen the strait must be “permanent and feasible”.

However, Trump said that he turned down NATO’s offer of assistance and told the ships to stay away unless they wanted to load oil.

“They were useless when needed, Paper Tiger!” He posted on social media before thanking Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Qatar.

Maritime industry associations said they were reviewing the situation.

“We are currently confirming the latest announcement regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in terms of freedom of navigation and safe passage for all commercial ships,” said Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the UN maritime agency International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Regional diplomats have been making intense efforts in recent days to prevent the resumption of violence between Iran, Israel and the United States.

The current ceasefire with Iran, which Donald Trump announced earlier this month, is set to expire on Tuesday. Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has emerged as the key mediator, is in Tehran to advance negotiations for a more lasting peace.

“Peace in Lebanon and stopping armed attacks in Lebanon are essential for peace talks,” Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said at a press conference on Thursday.

There were widespread celebrations in Lebanon over the fragile ceasefire. In Beirut, cars with mattresses stacked on their roofs passed through cheering crowds congratulating displaced people in the south on their return to their homes. Cars blasted pro-Hezbollah music and waved the group’s yellow flags, declaring victory.

The mass return to the south took place despite the occupation of part of Lebanese territory by the Israeli army and the warnings of the Israeli military spokesman not to go south of the Litani river. Hezbollah, the Lebanese army and the head of the Lebanese parliament, Nebih Berri, made statements urging the people of southern Lebanon to wait before returning to their homes.

Few people seemed to heed this advice, as large queues formed outside the ruined bridges over the Litany. Just hours before the ceasefire, Israel had bombed the only remaining intact bridge, the Qasmiyeh bridge leading to the southern Lebanese city of Tire.

The war in Iran spread to Lebanon, as Hezbollah launched missile attacks on Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Tehran; It triggered a violent Israeli response, including a land invasion of southern Lebanon. It has been 15 months since the last major conflict between the two sides.

The ceasefire terms return Lebanon to a status quo very similar to the period after the previous November 2024 ceasefire. Like this agreement, it gives Israel “the right to take all necessary measures to defend itself at any time” in Lebanon, despite the supposed cessation of hostilities.

Mairav ​​Zonszein, senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the ceasefire left residents of northern Israel “simmering.”

“Netanyahu is clinging to a workable narrative because the majority of Israelis support continuing the war. This even though it casts doubt on the Israeli military’s ability to disarm Hezbollah with military force alone,” Zonszein said.

An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who had previously accused Israel of breaking the existing ceasefire agreement by attacking Lebanon. Israel said the agreement did not cover Lebanon.

The conflict has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US soldiers were also killed.