Iran opens Strait of Hormuz – Trump reacts

During ceasefire

Iran opens Strait of Hormuz – Trump reacts

By effectively closing the important strait, Iran has caused serious damage to the global economy. Now Tehran is changing course.

Iran says it has reopened passage for all merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced this on Friday on X. The release will apply for the remainder of the ceasefire in Lebanon and will take place on a coordinated route and under Iranian control. However, warships are still not allowed to pass through the strait, an Iranian military official said.

US President Donald Trump confirmed the opening and said the strait was now fully usable for trade. “Iran has cleared or is in the process of clearing all sea mines with the help of the US,” the 79-year-old claimed in a post on Truth Social.

At the same time, he emphasized that the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. This should only end when negotiations with Iran have been completely concluded. At the same time, Trump was confident that an agreement could be reached quickly.

The opening of the important shipping route had an immediate impact on the markets. Oil prices fell significantly. A barrel of the North Sea Brent variety temporarily lost more than ten percent of its value, and the US reference variety WTI also fell significantly.

According to Tehran, the current release is related to the ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon that came into force on Friday night. Donald Trump had previously surprisingly announced the agreement between Israel and Lebanon. It is intended to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The US President wrote on Truth Social: “Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon. This has been FORBIDDEN by the USA. Enough is enough!!!”.

Iran is Hezbollah’s main backer and had called for a ceasefire. Tehran is now responding to the ceasefire by opening one of the most important sea routes for global oil and liquid gas transport.

Shortly after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, the regime in Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Several tankers were attacked, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards patrolled the strait and laid mines in the water. Even after a ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran came into effect last week, the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.

In response, the US military set up a blockade aimed specifically at Iranian shipping. The US military has intercepted and inspected several ships since the operation began. The official aim is to prevent Iran from continuing to export oil despite sanctions.