New Delhi: Iran Friday announced that the Strait of Hormuz “is declared completely open” for the remaining period of the ceasefire, following the announcement of the pause in hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.
“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 ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister of Iran said in a statement on social media platform X.
Soon after the announcement, US President Donald Trump maintained in a statement on Truth Social that the US naval blockade against Iran will remain in force until “such time that our transaction with Iran is 100 per cent complete”.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran on 28 February. Iran agreed to reopen the strait as part of the terms of ceasefire, which began on 8 April. However, despite announcements by Tehran and Pakistan, which helped mediate the ceasefire, that Lebanon was a part of the deal, Israel and the US asserted otherwise.
Israel had continued carrying out strikes against Lebanon. Eventually, American pressure on Israel led to the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Beirut and Tel Aviv Thursday, according to American news organisation Axios.
“I just had excellent conversations with the highly respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day ceasefire,” Trump announced on social media platform Truth Social Thursday.
The American President added: “The two countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.”
Iran has conditioned a second meeting with the US to negotiate a peace deal on the ceasefire in Lebanon between Tel Aviv and Beirut, according to Axios. Israel has been carrying out strikes against Lebanon, after Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed militia, launched rockets at the West Asian nation in solidarity with Iran. Tehran and Hezbollah have maintained close ties for decades.
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for a fifth of global energy supply. US President Donald J. Trump had attempted to enforce a naval blockade against Iran in a bid to force Tehran to open the strait and return to the negotiating table for a peace deal.
Over a week of the fragile two-week ceasefire between Iran, the US and Israel has elapsed. It remains to be seen whether the two countries will meet for a second time. Iran’s Ambassador to India Mohamad Fathali Monday had said that Iran was willing to negotiate with the US, as long as Washington removes certain “unlawful” demands for peace.
Tehran has also announced that the opening of the Strait of Hormuz will be done by using routes already announced by its Ports and Maritime Organisation. Iran has laid claim to the entire strait and has demanded recognition of the same by the US, as one of its 10-points for peace.
Hormuz is an important strait connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Multiple countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have ports within the Persian Gulf and require the passage through the Strait of Hormuz to be able to enter the Arabian Sea.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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