U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels, as a 10-day truce in Lebanon appeared to hold.
The truce offered a pause in fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and could clear one major obstacle to a deal between Iran and the United States and Israel to end weeks of devastating war. But it remained unclear whether whether the militant group would recognize a deal it did not play a role in negotiating and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.
In a social media post, Trump said Iran announced that the strait “is fully open and ready for full passage.”
Minutes earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the passage for all commercial vessels through the strait “is declared completely open” in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon. He said it would stay open for the remaining period of the ceasefire.
It was not immediately clear what that meant for the U.S. blockade of the strait, but Trump said the blockade would “remain in full force” until Iran reaches a deal with the U.S. to end war.
World leaders welcome announcement
The leaders of France and the UK on Friday welcomed the announced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but say it must become permanent.
President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer say they will keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, with a meeting of military planners in London next week.
Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries, Macron said, “We all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.”
Starmer said the announcement by Iran and the US that the waterway is open must become “both lasting and a workable proposal”.
He said France and the UK will lead a multinational mission to safeguard shipping “as soon as conditions allow”.