After Iran's "Hormuz Open" Declaration, Trump's Blockade In "Full Force" Update

After welcoming Iran's announcement of the Strait of Hormuz being "fully open", US President Donald Trump clarified that the naval blockade of the strait will remain intact until their "transaction" with Iran is complete. However, he claimed that the process will be concluded "very quickly" as the sticking points have already been negotiated.

"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," Trump wrote.

He added, "This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated."

In any case, the Trump administration sees the US blockade as a way of putting pressure on Iran to sign the deal.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be "completely open" for the remaining period of the ceasefire. In a post on X, he said that the passage will be open for all commercial vessels.

"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", Araghchi wrote on X.

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

Crude prices have tumbled 10 per cent after the announcement of the opening of the Hormuz Strait, according to the Associated Press.

Trump's "Very Successful Negotiation" With Iran Claim

On Thursday, Trump said that there is a "very good chance" that the US and Iran could be making a deal. He said that the two countries were going through a "very successful negotiation" and that if the deal happens, there will be free oil, an open Strait of Hormuz and "everything will be nice".

Before that, Trump claimed that Iran is ready to hand over its "nuclear dust" to the United States. "Nuclear dust" has been Trump's phrase for Iran's highly enriched uranium that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believed is buried deep underneath the ground following US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.

Read | In Huge Claim, Trump Says Iran Has Agreed To Hand Over Its Enriched Uranium

"There will be no enrichment of Uranium," Trump said, adding that the United States would work with Iran to "dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) nuclear 'dust.'"

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.