Following Iran’s announcement of a temporary lifting of its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump stated that the US naval blockade of Iranian vessels must remain in place. On Friday, Trump posted to his personal platform, in all capital letters, that “The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for trade and unhindered passage, but the naval blockade remains in full effect, as it pertains exclusively to Iran until our transaction with Iran is 100 percent completed”.
Previously, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had stated on the X platform that passage through the Strait of Hormuz for all commercial vessels is fully cleared for the remainder of the ten-day truce in Lebanon. Earlier in April, Araghchi had indicated that an end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon was a precondition for a ceasefire with the US. At that time, the Iranian Foreign Minister wrote on X, referencing a tweet by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announcing a truce between Iran and the US, that “The conditions for the ceasefire between Iran and the US are clear and unambiguous: The US must decide-either a ceasefire or the continuation of war over Israel. Both cannot happen”. He added, “The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. Now the US is at the helm, and the world is watching whether they will adhere to their obligations”.