Tehran/Washington:: In a major breakthrough, Iran on Friday said that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely open” for all commercial vessels, a move welcomed by US President Donald Trump.
Trump, however, said the naval blockade against Iran will remain in “full force” until Tehran reaches an agreement with the US to end the war.
The announcement of the reopening of the vital waterway by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi comes a day after President Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, one of the key demands of Iran.
“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
Araghchi, however, said the ships must sail “on the coordinated route as already announced” by the Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran.
Minutes later, President Trump shared the announcement in a post on Truth Social.
“Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you!” Trump said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz following its conflict with the US and Israel, crippling global energy supplies. In response, Trump earlier this week announced the blockade of Iran’s ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said 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% complete. This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated.”
He also said Iran, with help from the US, is working to remove all sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz. He added that Iran has “agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!”
Trump said the deal with Iran is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon. “But we will make Lebanon great again!” he added.
The development comes a day after Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir held talks with top Iranian leadership in Tehran as part of Islamabad’s efforts to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran.
Munir, who led a high-level political-security delegation to Iran, met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and top Revolutionary Guards commanders on Thursday.
Ghalibaf, who had led the Iranian delegation to Pakistan for talks with the US over the weekend, has urged the US to commit to any peace agreement in Lebanon.
Munir, the first foreign military leader to visit Tehran since a two-week ceasefire was agreed between Iran and the US last week, also visited the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran, where he met with its Commander Major General Ali Abdollahi, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
During the meeting, he discussed with the IRGC commander the steps taken under the framework for ending the war and their recent talks in Tehran. The two sides discussed the situation in the region and the prospects for peace and stability, Iranian official media said.
Munir stressed that ongoing efforts to end the war should continue.
Sources in Islamabad said that Munir held detailed discussions to bring Iran and the US to the negotiating table for the second round of talks in Islamabad.
“As a confidence-building measure ahead of more talks, Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz,” a Pakistani source said.
The US media reported that Iran was ready to address US concerns regarding nuclear material and, in return, get access to USD 20 billion stuck up due to restrictions imposed by the US.
It was also being reported in the US that the second round of talks may be held as early as Sunday. However, officials said that it is likely that the talks would be held next week. The timing and place of the next round of talks have not been confirmed yet.
The US and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday without any agreement.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has started preparing to host the second round of high-stakes talks between the US and Iran next week.
Official sources in Pakistan on Friday said a feverish diplomatic activity followed to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. It was met with success as both continue to observe the temporary two-week ceasefire, allowing Pakistan to relaunch its mediatory push.
After working behind the scenes, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embarked on a tri-nation tour on Wednesday, while Munir travelled to Tehran.
Shehbaz, after discussions with the Saudi and Qatari leaders, on Thursday night reached Turkiye, where he met Senior Advisor to the US President for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos on Friday.
During the meeting in Antalya, PM Shehbaz and Boulos discussed “current regional developments, including Pakistan’s peace efforts that led to the ceasefire as well as the historic Islamabad Talks,” the prime minister’s office said.
Boulos reiterated the US’ “interest in deepening engagement with Pakistan on shared priorities, including counter-terrorism, economic development, and addressing global challenges,” it added.
According to officials in Islamabad, preparations for the second round of talks have “started in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi as thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have started coming from other provinces.”
There are also reports that transport companies have been approached by the Islamabad and Rawalpindi districts officials to inform them that traffic coming from other cities or leaving the twin cities may face drastic restrictions.
According to a message shared on social media, such restrictions, once imposed, may continue until the end of next week. It urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during the next week or plan well in advance.
The chances of a peace deal got further support when Trump told reporters on Thursday that he may travel to Islamabad if a final agreement with Iran is signed there, while claiming that Tehran has accepted “almost everything” currently under negotiation.
Trump expressed optimism about Pakistan-led diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and secure a settlement before the current ceasefire expires, indicating that he would extend it, although he suggested such a move might not be necessary if a deal is reached in time.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran would expire on April 21.
