Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026|Updated: 7 minutes agoUpdated: 7 minutes ago
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz is “completely open” for all commercial vessels and will remain so during the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.
“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Friday.
A 10-day ceasefire was agreed upon between Israel and Lebanon late on Thursday, though it was unclear whether the armed group Hezbollah, which has been fighting Israel’s invasion of the south over the course of the war on Iran, would recognise it.
The passage of vessels through the strait will be on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran, Araghchi added.
United States President Donald Trump confirmed in a social media post that the strait was “completely open and ready for business and full passage”, though he went on to add that the US naval blockade of Iran would “remain in full force” until Iran reached a deal with the US to end the war.
A senior Iranian military official told the Iranian state media that only nonmilitary vessels would be allowed to transit the strait with permission from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
The US-Israeli war on Iran, which started on February 28, has killed more than 3,000 people. The conflict saw Iran effectively block traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transits.
The US went on to blockade Iran’s ports in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf after US-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a breakthrough on Sunday.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said, “The chances of the US lifting the naval blockade were never particularly high as the Trump administration sees that as a way of putting more pressure on Iran.”
Fisher said the main point for Trump was ensuring that Iran had no nuclear weapons. “If Iran does give that assurance, what will they get in return? It’s the big question. They’ll want to know that if they give something quite significant, they’re getting something in return.”
Trump said on Friday that Israel would no longer bomb Lebanon, and any US deal with Iran is not contingent on what happens with Lebanon.
“Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” he declared in a social media post.
A spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeepers in the south said Friday that they had not observed any air strikes since midnight, but accused the Israeli military of violating airspace and artillery shelling in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment. According to the agreement shared by the State Department, Israel can act in self-defence against imminent attacks, but cannot carry out offensive operations against southern Lebanon.
Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israel analyst with the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that direct talks between Lebanon and Israel constituted an important breakthrough, but the prospects of these talks moving towards a more sustainable agreement remain remote.
“Nevertheless, a diplomatic track that strengthens the Lebanese government and sees a gradual withdrawal of Israeli presence will contribute to weakening Hezbollah politically,” Zonszein said.
