Beirut, Apr. 18: Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but President Donald Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the crucial waterway through which about 20% of the world’s oil is shipped was now fully open to commercial vessels, as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.
Trump initially celebrated, posting on social media that Iran announced the strait “is fully open and ready for full passage.” But minutes later, he issued another post saying the U.S. Navy’s blockade would continue “Until Such Time As Our Transaction With Iran Is 100% Complete.”
The president also said Iran, with help from the U.S., is working to remove all mines from strait.
Trump imposed the blockade earlier this week after Iran restricted traffic through the strait due to fighting in Lebanon, which Iran claimed to be a breach of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire reached between the U.S., Israel and Iran.
At the time, Trump said the blockade would enforce an “all or none” policy in hopes of pressuring Iran to reopen the strait.
The president’s decision to continue the blockade despite Iran’s announcement appeared aimed at sustaining pressure on Tehran as the fate of the two-week ceasefire reached last week remains uncertain. Direct talks between the U.S. and Iran last weekend were inconclusive, as the two nations differed over Iran’s nuclear program and other sticking points.
Oil prices fell on hopes of a deal. The head of the International Energy Agency had warned that energy shocks could get worse if the strait did not reopen. Iran closed the crucial waterway shortly after the war began.
The truce in Lebanon offered a pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah 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 was unclear 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.
Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The White House did not immediately respond to a question about whether the prohibition spans both offensive and defensive strikes.
Meanwhile in Beirut, barrages of gunshots rang out across the Lebanese capital as residents fired into the air just after midnight to celebrate the beginning of the truce. Displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to attempt to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.
A spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon said Friday they had not observed any airstrikes since midnight, but accused the Israeli military of violating airspace and of artillery shelling in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. According to the agreement shared by the State Department, Israel can act in self-defense against imminent attacks but cannot carry out offensive operations against southern Lebanon.Trump heralded the deal a “historic day for Lebanon,” as he expressed confidence the war with Iran would soon end.
“I will say the war in Iran is going along swimmingly,” Trump said in a Las Vegas speech. “It should be ending pretty soon.”
An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking the current ceasefire deal with strikes on Lebanon. Israel said that deal did not cover Lebanon.
Pakistan’s army chief met Thursday with Iran’s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension of the ceasefire.
The fighting 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 U.S. service members have also been killed.
Israel’s hard-line Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday that Israel plans to respect the ceasefire even though attempts to completely disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon are “not yet complete.” Katz said Israel would continue to hold all the places it is currently stationed, including a buffer zone extending 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Israel into southern Lebanon. He said many homes in the area would be destroyed and Lebanese residents will not return to the area.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but also said Israeli troops would not withdraw.
Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the border area as they pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “security zone.”
“That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said.
Hezbollah has said Lebanese people have “the right to resist” Israeli occupation of their land and that their actions “will be determined based on how developments unfold.” (AP)
