Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'fully open' as Trump welcomes ‘full passage'
It comes as Britain and France said it will lead a "multinational mission" aimed at protecting ships passing through the Strait
Donald Trump has welcomed Iran's foreign minister's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely open" for the "remaining period of ceasefire".
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After effectively closing the world's busiest oil shipping channel for weeks in response to the US-Israeli attacks, Seyed Abbas Aragchi said the passage would now be open for "all commercial vessels".
Writing on X, the Iranian official said: "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, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran."
Oil prices have fallen and markets have risen following the news.
Read more: Israel and Lebanon enter into ceasefire, as Trump asks Hezbollah to 'act nicely'
Read more: Israel accused of 'a number of violations' hours after ceasefire takes effect
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, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 17, 2026
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the US would begin a naval blockade of the Strait after Iran's closure of the passage had caused global energy prices to soar.
Upon hearing the news about the passage being reopened, President Trump posted on Truth Social: "IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!"
The cost of a barrel of Brent crude fell to below $90 a barrel, having been above $98 earlier in the day.
NYMEX light sweet crude, the US benchmark, also dropped significantly.
The route will now remain open for the reminder of the Iran-US ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 22.
A 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon was announced yesterday.
It is unclear which ceasefire Aragchi was referring to in his post about reopening the strait.
Iran has previously declared the Strait is open to nations that liaise with its military, selectively preventing vessels from passing through the narrow waterway and spiking oil prices in the process.
Mr Trump added that the US blockade would stay in place until its negotiations with Iran were "100% complete".
It’s good news that the Strait of Hormuz has now reopened.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 17, 2026
This must be a long lasting and workable solution, without tolls or restrictions on routes.
Today we announced our joint plan with France and other international partners to protect freedom of navigation.
We need to…
But the American leader added that he expects this process to "go very quickly", as "most of the points are already negotiated".
His message today follows reports on Thursday that he was eager to end the war, as political pressure grows on him at home.
The two countries are expected to resume talks ahead of the ceasefire expiring, after initial talks in Islamabad broke down last weekend.
Iran's statement comes as Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron co-hosted a virtual meeting with 40 leaders, at which they discussed the reopening of the strait.
Starmer told the meeting that "the unconditional and immediate reopening" of the strait "is a global responsibility".
In response to the news, Britain and France said it will lead a "multinational mission" aimed at protecting ships passing through the Strait.
Speaking at a gathering of world leaders in Paris, the Prime Minister said: "I can confirm that along with France, the UK will lead a multinational mission to protect freedom of navigation as soon as conditions allow.
"This will be strictly peaceful and defensive, as a mission to reassure commercial shipping and support mine clearance.
"We invite all nations with an interest in the free flow of global trade to join us. Some have already indicated their readiness to contribute.
"We will take this forward with a military planning conference in London next week where we will announce more detail on the composition of the mission, and over a dozen countries have already offered to contribute assets."
The Strait of Hormuz - only about 50km (31 miles) wide at its entrance and exit, and about 33km wide at its narrowest point - connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea.
It is deep enough for the world's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by major Middle Eastern oil and LNG producers, as well as their customers.
In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil and oil products passed through the Strait of Hormuz per day, according to estimates from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).