Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in X that Iran has fully opened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels.
The strait was opened in accordance with the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, which came into effect at midnight on April 17, Kyiv time. It will remain open for the duration of the ceasefire.
However, commercial vessels will be able to navigate not along the pre-war route, but a new one around Larek Island, as previously reported by structures close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The reason for the change in route was cited as mining of the strait.
Oil prices instantly reacted to Aragchiʼs statement: within half an hour, the price of Brent crude oil fell from $96 to $89 per barrel.
After that, the US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Socials that the American naval blockade of the strait remains in force: the US will not allow ships going to or from Iranian ports or coasts.
War in the Middle East, negotiations between Iran, the US, Israel and Lebanon
On the morning of February 28, the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials — were killed.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed. This led to a sharp increase in oil and gas prices.
On the night of April 8, Trump wrote that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Later, Iran published a 10-point peace plan: under it, the parties would cease hostilities, the US would withdraw troops from the Middle East and would no longer attack Iranian bases, and ships would have limited access to the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks.
Iran would also be required to lift primary and secondary sanctions and compensate for losses. Iran would commit not to developing nuclear weapons, and the US would recognize Iranʼs right to enrich uranium.
But on the afternoon of April 8, the Prime Minister of Pakistan said that ceasefire violations had been recorded in several places in the conflict zone in the Middle East.
Reuters sources reported that Iran had struck the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, which is currently the only channel for exporting crude oil from the country, and other facilities. Before that, Iran reported an American attack on the refinery on Laban Island and threatened to respond.
At the same time, Israel launched its largest attack on Lebanon since the start of the new war: in 10 minutes, the Israeli army attacked more than 100 sites of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, killing more than 350 people. Israel claims that the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, while Pakistani mediators wrote that the cessation of hostilities also applies to Lebanon.
The talks took place on April 10-11 and lasted almost 21 hours. The US and Iran did not agree on a final end to the war.
On April 16, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. They agreed to a ten-day ceasefire, which was to begin at midnight Kyiv time on April 17. Trump wrote that this would be the tenth war he had ended.
Representatives of the two countries held their first direct talks since 1993 in Washington on April 14. But fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian group in Lebanon, continued. On April 16, Trump reported that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would hold direct talks the following day.
Israel has said that the main goal of the talks with Lebanon is the complete disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishment of stable interstate relations. Lebanon demands a ceasefire and help overcome the humanitarian crisis.
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