Trump declares Strait of Hormuz closed for Iran as peace deal enters crunch stage

Trump and Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again to commercial shipping after the new ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, putting one of the world’s most important energy routes back in business for now.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that, in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, all commercial vessels could use the Strait of Hormuz for the rest of the truce on the route already set by Iran’s ports authority. 

Trump followed with his own message and said:

“THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE, BUT THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE. THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED.”

Israel’s Lebanon campaign keeps shaping the Strait of Hormuz talks

The latest opening of the Strait of Hormuz came after Israel and Lebanon agreed Thursday to a 10-day ceasefire that began at 5 p.m. Eastern Time that evening.

Israel’s devastating attacks in Lebanon have been a major problem in talks between Washington and Tehran because Lebanon is a close ally of Iran, so that issue has kept dragging into the wider U.S.-Iran dispute.

On April 7, Cryptopolitan reported that Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire in return for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz in full. That deal quickly ran into trouble. Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the U.S. broke the agreement by letting Israel continue its military campaign in Lebanon.

Because both sides kept fighting over what the terms actually meant, the Strait of Hormuz stayed almost entirely shut during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, with only a small number of commercial ships passing through each day.

Another effort to settle the war also fell short. Last weekend in Pakistan, talks between Vice President JD Vance and Ghalibaf did not produce a permanent agreement to end the U.S. war with Iran.

Trump later said American and Iranian officials could meet again this weekend in Pakistan for a second round. Israel has also signaled that it would follow any U.S. decision on whether to extend the truce with Iran or move toward a broader peace deal.

The Strait of Hormuz carries oil, gas, and the weight of a wider war

The war began on Feb. 28 when Israel and the U.S. bombed Iran, saying the goal was to destroy its nuclear and missile programs. Since then, the Strait of Hormuz has stayed at the center of the crisis because of what moves through it and where it sits.

The corridor lies between Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south. It links the Gulf to the Arabian Sea. It is about 50 kilometers, or 31 miles, wide at both ends and around 33 kilometers wide at its tightest point.

The Strait of Hormuz is deep enough for the largest crude tankers in the world. It is used by major oil and LNG producers across the Middle East and by the countries that buy that fuel.

In 2025, roughly 20 million barrels of oil and oil products moved through the Strait of Hormuz every day, based on estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

That works out to nearly $600 billion in yearly energy trade. The supply does not come only from Iran. It also comes from Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Over in Lebanon, many people traveling south will not be going back to stay. In some areas, destruction is so severe that there is nothing left to return to. Some towns and villages near the border are still under Israeli occupation. The ceasefire text does not say when, or even whether, invading troops will leave. Israeli officials have warned they plan to stay, so many people fear the war could start again. 

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