Trump says Iran agrees to 'never' close Hormuz strait again

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran has announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for full passage.

“Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

In a second post, Trump wrote that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely open and ready for business and full passage.”

“But the Naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100 percent complete. This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated,” Trump said.

His remarks came shortly after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” for all commercial vessels, linking it to a ceasefire in Lebanon.

The decision was made “in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon,” Araghchi said in a statement on the U.S. social media company X.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Tehran imposed control on the key waterway soon after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, affecting global energy supplies and maritime traffic.

The U.S. has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports since Monday this week.

However, the two sides remained engaged through mediation by Pakistan, and Araghchi's announcement came after Pakistan army chief Gen. Asim Munir met Iran's top civil and military leadership over the past two days in Tehran.

Islamabad hosted rare talks between Washington and Tehran last weekend after securing a 14-day ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran on April 8, and efforts are ongoing to end the war.