Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but threatens to close it again as the US maintains its blockade

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran said it afloat reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercialized vessels, but questions lingered Saturday astir however overmuch state ships really had to transit the waterway arsenic Tehran maintained its grip connected the who got done and threatened to adjacent it again if the U.S. kept successful spot its blockade of Iranian ships and ports.

Iran’s Friday announcement astir the opening of the important assemblage of water, done which 20% of the world’s lipid is shipped, came arsenic a 10-day truce betwixt Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant radical successful Lebanon appeared to hold.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted connected X that ships would usage routes designated by the Islamic Republic successful coordination with Iranian authorities, suggesting Iran planned to clasp immoderate level of power implicit the channel. It was not wide if vessels would person to wage tolls.

A information firm, Kpler, said question done the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran’s approval.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said the American blockade “will stay successful afloat force” until Tehran reaches a woody with the U.S., including connected its atomic program.

Trump initially celebrated the Iranian announcement, posting connected societal media that the strait was “fully unfastened and acceptable for afloat passage.” But minutes later, helium issued different station saying the U.S. Navy’s blockade would proceed “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

Iranian officials said the blockade was a usurpation of past week’s ceasefire statement betwixt Iran and the U.S. The strait "will not stay open” if the blockade continues, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, posted connected X aboriginal Saturday.

U.S. forces person sent 21 ships backmost to Iran since the blockade began connected Monday, U.S. Central Command said connected X.

Trump says caller talks could hap soon

Trump imposed the blockade arsenic portion of his effort to unit Iran to unfastened the strait and judge a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to extremity astir 7 weeks of warfare that has raged betwixt Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

The president's determination to proceed the blockade contempt Iran’s announcement appeared aimed astatine sustaining unit connected Tehran arsenic the destiny of the two-week ceasefire reached past week remained uncertain.

Direct talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran past play were inconclusive, arsenic the 2 nations could not hold astir Iran’s atomic programme and different points.

Trump suggested a 2nd circular of talks could hap this weekend.

“The Iranians privation to meet,” helium said successful a little telephone interrogation with the quality outlet Axios. “They privation to marque a deal. I deliberation a gathering volition astir apt instrumentality spot implicit the weekend.”

Oil prices fell Friday connected hopes the U.S. and Iran were drafting person to an statement . The caput of the International Energy Agency had warned that the vigor situation could get worse if the strait did not reopen.

Two Iranian semiofficial quality agencies seemed to situation Araghchi's announcement astir the strait.

Considered adjacent with Iran's almighty Revolutionary Guard, the Fars quality bureau issued a bid of posts connected X criticizing what it said was a deficiency of clarity implicit the determination to reopen the waterway and a “strange soundlessness from the Supreme National Security Council and the negotiating team.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has precocious acted arsenic the country's de facto apical decision-making body, amid doubts implicit the presumption of the caller ultimate leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly wounded aboriginal successful the war.

The Mehr quality bureau besides said the determination to reopen the strait needed “clarification” and required the ultimate leader’s approval.

Truce successful Lebanon could assistance US-Iran bid efforts

The ceasefire successful Lebanon could wide 1 large obstacle to an statement betwixt Iran, the United States and Israel to extremity the war. But it was unclear to what grade Hezbollah would abide by a woody it did not play a relation successful negotiating and which volition permission Israeli troops occupying a agelong of confederate Lebanon.

Trump said successful different station that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes connected Lebanon and that “enough is enough” successful the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The State Department said the prohibition applies lone to violative attacks and not to actions taken successful self-defense.

Shortly earlier Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire successful Lebanon “at the petition of my person President Trump,” but that the run against Hezbollah is not complete.

He claimed Israel had destroyed astir 90% of Hezbollah’s rocket and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.

Celebrations successful Beirut

In Beirut, celebratory gunshots rang retired astatine the commencement of the truce. Displaced families began moving toward confederate Lebanon and Beirut’s confederate suburbs contempt warnings by officials not to instrumentality to their homes until it became wide whether the ceasefire would hold.

The Lebanese service and U.N. peacekeepers successful confederate Lebanon had reported sporadic artillery shelling successful immoderate parts of confederate Lebanon successful the hours aft the ceasefire took effect.

An Israeli onslaught successful the country of Kounine deed a car and a motorcycle, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and wounding three, including a Syrian citizen, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Friday. It was the archetypal airstrike and archetypal fatality reported since the truce took effect.

There was nary contiguous effect from the Israeli service oregon Hezbollah.

An extremity to Israel’s warfare with Hezbollah was a cardinal request of Iranian negotiators, who antecedently accused Israel of breaking past week's ceasefire with strikes connected Lebanon. Israel had said that woody did not screen Lebanon.

The warring has killed astatine slightest 3,000 radical successful Iran, much than 2,290 successful Lebanon, 23 successful Israel and much than a twelve successful Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. work members person besides been killed.

Israel says it volition support troops successful Lebanon

Israel’s hard-line Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would proceed to clasp each the places wherever it is presently stationed, including a buffer portion extending 10 kilometers (6 miles) into confederate Lebanon. He said galore homes successful the country would beryllium destroyed and Lebanese residents volition not return.

Hezbollah has said Lebanese radical person “the close to resist” Israeli concern and that their actions “will beryllium determined based connected however developments unfold.”

Israel and Hezbollah person fought respective wars and person been warring connected and disconnected since the time aft the commencement of the Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza. Israel and Lebanon reached a woody to extremity the earlier warring successful November 2024, but Israel has kept up near-daily strikes successful what it says is an effort to forestall the Iran-backed militant radical from regrouping. That escalated into different penetration aft Hezbollah again began firing missiles astatine Israel successful effect to its warfare connected Iran.

Mediators question compromise connected 3 points

In the Iran war, mediators are pushing for compromise connected 3 main points: Iran’s atomic program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a determination authoritative progressive successful the mediation efforts.

Trump connected Friday suggested Iran has agreed to manus implicit its enriched uranium.

“The USA volition get each the atomic dust,” Trump said successful a code successful Arizona. “We’re going to get it by going successful with Iran with tons of excavators.”

Nuclear particulate is the shorthand Trump often uses to notation to the highly enriched uranium that is believed buried nether atomic sites the U.S. bombed during past year’s 12-day warfare betwixt Israel and Iran.

If true, it would beryllium a large concession from Iran and would fastener successful a cardinal request of the U.S. to extremity the conflict. Neither Iran nor countries acting arsenic intermediaries successful the struggle person said Tehran has made specified an agreement.

Trump said nary wealth would speech hands to extremity the war.

___

Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Ben Finley successful Washington, Samy Magdy and Amir Rajdy successful Cairo, Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad, Abby Sewell successful Beirut and Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.