Beirut: US President Donald Trump and Iran’s Foreign Minister have confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz is now open to commercial ships, while the 10-day ceasefire agreement in Lebanon appears to be complete.
The deal provided for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and could remove one of the biggest obstacles to an Iran-US-Israel deal to end weeks of fierce fighting.
But it is not yet clear whether the militant group will recognize the agreement, which had no role in the negotiations and which will leave Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon.
In a social media post, Trump said Iran announced that the strait was “completely open and ready for full passage.”
Minutes before that, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the passage of all commercial ships through the strait has been “declared completely clear” in line with the cease-fire in Lebanon. He said it will remain open for the remainder of the ceasefire.
It was not immediately clear what the US blockade of the strait meant, but Trump said the blockade would “remain in force” until Iran reaches an agreement with the US to end the war.
The president, in a series of social media posts, said that the US Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships and ports will remain in place “UNTIL THAT TIME OUR RELATIONS WITH IRAN ARE 100% COMPLETED.”
“THIS PROCESS CAN GO VERY FAST AS MANY INTERESTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED,” Trump added.
In response to the news, oil prices fell by more than ten percent on Friday, and Wall Street is nearing another record high.
Meanwhile, in Beirut, gunshots rang out across the city as residents fired shots into the air after midnight to celebrate the start of the truce, and displaced families began to head for southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs despite warnings from officials not to attempt to return to their homes until it was clear whether the ceasefire would hold.
A spokesman for the United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon said that they had not seen any airstrikes since midnight, but he accused the Israeli army of violating the airspace with artillery in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. According to the agreement shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel can defend itself against close attacks but cannot carry out offensive operations against southern Lebanon.
Trump declared the deal “a historic day for Lebanon,” even as he expressed confidence that the war with Iran will end soon in a Las Vegas speech.
“I will say the war in Iran is going swimmingly,” Trump said. “It should be over soon.”
An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who have previously accused Israel of breaking the current cease-fire and strikes against Lebanon. Israel said the agreement did not apply to Lebanon.
Pakistan’s army chief met Thursday with the speaker of Iran’s parliament as part of international efforts to push for an extension to the ceasefire.
The fighting has killed about 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Arab Gulf states. Thirteen American servicemen have also been killed.
AP
