The status of theStrait of Hormuz, the world’s most closely watched oil transit route amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, has plunged into fresh uncertainty, with a flurry of conflicting claims from Tehran and Washington. Even as Iran declared the crucial waterway "open" following the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire and US President Donald Trump hailed it as "fully open," both sides signalled continuing restrictions. Iran indicated that passage would be subject to its coordination and conditions, while Trump insisted the American blockade remains in force. The back-and-forth has left the reality on the ground unclear, thus raising a key question about how much freedom ships actually had to transit the waterway.
Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the crucial waterway was now fully open to commercial vessels, as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.
Araghchi said ships will use routes designated by the Islamic Republic in coordination with Iranian authorities, suggesting Iran planned to retain some level of control over the channel. It was not clear if vessels would have to pay tolls.
Following Iran's announcement, US President Donald Trump celebrated the opening of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz was 'fully open and ready for full passage,' he posted on social media.
Minutes later, Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports "will remain in full force" until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear program. The US Navy’s blockade would continue "UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE."
Iran once again threatened to close it again if the US kept in place its blockade of Iranian ships and ports. The strait "will not remain open" if the blockade continues, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X early Saturday.
"With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open. Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be conducted based on the "designated route" and with "Iranian authorisation." Whether the Strait is open or closed and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not by social media," Ghalibaf posted on X.
Amid the claims and counterclaims by Tehran and Trump, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has set outconditionsfor ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows, and hundreds of ships and around 20,000 seafarers had been stranded in the Gulf awaiting safe passage.
Apoorva Shukla is a journalist at Times Now, where she thrives on dissecting political developments both at home and abroad. A graduate of Delhi Univ...View More
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