After weeks of disruption, Iran declares Strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’

After weeks of shipping disruption that rattled energy markets, Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz completely open to commercial traffic.

Abbas Araghchi, Iranian foreign minister, announced the development in an X post on Friday — hours after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect.

However, Araghchi said vessels must transit through a “coordinated route” announced by Iran’s maritime authorities.

“THANK YOU!” US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post after Iran’s announcement.

The two-week ceasefire Iran and the US struck earlier this month is due to expire on April 22.

The US had announced it would begin a naval blockade of the strait earlier this week, after Iran had effectively closed the world’s busiest oil shipping channel for weeks in response to the US-Israeli attacks.

On Wednesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the blockade had been “fully implemented”.

Trump added on Friday that the current US naval blockade will remain in place “until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete”.

Meanwhile, oil prices have sharply fallen after Iran announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The cost of a barrel of Brent crude fell to below $90 a barrel, having been above $98 earlier in the day. Thecable