All vessels are permitted to pass through: Iran has opened the Strait of Hormuz
17 April 16:29
Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial vessels today, April 17, for the duration of the ceasefire in Lebanon.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing a post by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on social media platform X.
“In accordance with the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is hereby declared fully open for the remainder of the ceasefire period along the agreed route, as previously announced by the Ports and Shipping Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Araghchi wrote.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important narrow waterway (about 34–55 km wide) connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. About 20% of the world’s oil exports pass through it.
On the eve of April 16, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
As a reminder, at the start of the US and Israel’s war against Iran, Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. This triggered a massive global oil crisis, which led to a surge in fuel prices.
U.S. President Donald Trump even called on NATO allies to help him unblock the Strait of Hormuz, but they refused, which angered the American leader and led to further statements about withdrawing from NATO.
It should be noted that Tehran claimed in its defense that the Strait of Hormuz was open, but only to ships from countries not hostile to Iran.
Earlier, after the ceasefire with the U.S. began, Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz, but closed it almost immediately afterward. Tehran cited Israel’s bombing of Lebanon as the reason for this decision.
