Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' for all commercial vessels, Trump welcomes move

Public Lokpal
April 18, 2026

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.

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 also 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.

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.

He 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.” 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, where he met with its commander, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

During the meeting, he discussed with the commander of the IRGC 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 reported.

Munir stressed that ongoing efforts to end the war should continue.

Iranian media had reported that the purpose of the Pakistani delegation’s visit was to deliver a US message to the Iranian leadership and to plan the next round of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has started preparing to host the second round of high-stakes talks between the US and Iran during the next week.

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.

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.

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.

PTI