ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Iran announced Friday that it would open the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passageway for oil that has been a central sticking point in efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
“The passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an X post.
President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social moments later. “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!” he wrote.
The U.S. naval blockade established on vessels leaving from and going to Iranian ports remains in effect, U.S. officials said. The Navy has turned back 19 ships since it took effect Monday, defense officials said on social media Friday morning.
The announcement comes amid a broader push to secure a peace deal between Iran and the United States, after they agreed to a 15-day ceasefire last week. A 10-day, U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, which promised to halt Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, went into effect early Friday local time — following pressure by the Trump administration to ramp down a conflict that threatened to upend the Iran ceasefire.
Trump has suggested that Iran and the United States are “very close” to a peace deal. U.S. and Iranian negotiators have continued to exchange messages since face-to-face talks between the two sides broke down in Islamabad this past weekend. The two sides could meet again in coming days, according to Trump.
Iran has never formally declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, but since the outbreak of war in late February, Iranian forces have attacked civilian tankers in the area and mined part of the waterway, reducing traffic drastically. Tehran granted permission to a handful of tankers to pass, while continuing to restrict most traffic, including shipments associated with the United States, Israel and countries Iran has attacked for hosting U.S. military bases.
Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz could resume “on the coordinated route as already announced” by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, Araghchi said. It’s unclear whether this means that vessels will need to pay a toll for using the strait.
Iran began charging tankers a toll to use the strait during the war with the United States. Charging for passage through a naturally occurring waterway is against international maritime law. Iranian officials have said that fees collected from the tolls would be used to pay for “security” in the strait.
Iran expanded its control of the Strait of Hormuz over the course of the war with the United States and pushed to formalize that control during negotiations for a peace deal. That move has angered Iran’s Persian Gulf neighbors who rely on the strait to export oil and gas to international markets.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as one of the central sticking points as U.S. and Iranian negotiators have attempted to negotiate an end to war. Other issues include the future of Iran’s nuclear program and Tehran’s demand that Israel and the United States pay reparations for war-related damage.
Iran’s announcement that it was opening the strait was followed by a plunge in oil prices. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, fell more than 10 percent to under $89 in futures trading.
The inability of tankers to pass through the narrow strait had sent prices soaring since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran in late February. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas moves through that choke point. Its closure has also touched off energy shortages in parts of Asia.
But analysts caution it is unclear how much oil will be able to move through the strait in the coming days, even with Iran’s announcement that it is open. Iran specified that ships will only be allowed to pass through routes it authorizes, and the mines it has laid remain a dangerous hazard for any vessels.
“The strait normally handles more than 100 vessel crossings per day. A single designated corridor with Iranian authorization requirements cannot replicate that volume,” said Brett Erickson, managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, which specializes in financial crime and regulatory issues.
“Reopening the strait on paper and vessels actually transiting it are two very different things. Captains and shipping companies make decisions based on crew safety, not diplomatic announcements. With an announcement that is minutes old, the confidence threshold required to send crews through that water may not yet have been met.”
Halper reported from Washington. Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report.
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