Trump and Iranian foreign minister say Strait of Hormuz is fully open

US President Donald Trump and Iran’s Foreign Minister say the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial ships, as a 10-day ceasefire appeared to apply in Lebanon.

The ceasefire provided a pause in fighting between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah and could remove a major obstacle to an agreement between Iran and the United States and Israel to end weeks of devastating war. But it remained unclear whether the militant group would recognize a deal in which it had no role in the negotiations and which will see Israeli forces occupy part of southern Lebanon.

In a post on social media, Trump said Iran has announced that the strait is “fully open and ready for full passage.”

Minutes earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on He said it would remain open for the remaining period of the ceasefire.

It was not immediately clear what that meant for the US blockade of the strait, but Trump said the blockade would “remain in full force” until Iran reaches an agreement with the US to end the war.

Meanwhile, in Beirut, barrages of gunfire rang out across the city as residents shot into the air just after midnight to celebrate the start of the ceasefire, and displaced families began moving towards southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, despite warnings from officials not to attempt to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

A spokesman for U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon said Friday that they had not observed any airstrikes since midnight, but accused the Israeli army of violating airspace and artillery bombardments in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Under the agreement shared by the Foreign Ministry, Israel can act in self-defense against threatened attacks, but cannot conduct offensive operations against southern Lebanon.

Trump called the deal a “historic day for Lebanon,” even as he expressed confidence that the war with Iran would end soon in a speech in Las Vegas.

“I will say the war in Iran is going smoothly,” Trump said. “It should end soon.”

An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking the current ceasefire with attacks on Lebanon. Israel said the deal does not include Lebanon.

Pakistan’s army chief met the speaker of Iran’s parliament on Thursday as part of international efforts to push for an extension of the ceasefire.

As oil prices fell on hopes for a deal, the head of the International Energy Agency warned that energy shocks could worsen if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen soon. Iran closed the crucial waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil normally flows, shortly after the war began. Europe still has “maybe six weeks or so” of jet fuel left and the broader economic impact will worsen the longer the strait remains closed, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told the Associated Press on Thursday.

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 American soldiers have also been killed.

Israel says it will keep troops in Lebanon

Hardline Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday that Israel plans to respect the ceasefire even though efforts to fully disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon are “not yet complete.” Katz said Israel will continue to maintain all places where it is currently stationed, including a buffer zone stretching 10 kilometers from the border with Israel to southern Lebanon. He said many houses in the area would be destroyed and Lebanese residents would not return to the area.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to further peace efforts with Lebanon” but also said Israeli forces would not withdraw.

Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy fighting with Hezbollah in the border area as they pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials called a “security zone.”

“That’s where we are, and we’re not going away,” he said.

Hezbollah has said that the Lebanese people “have the right to resist” the Israeli occupation of their country and that their actions “will be determined based on how developments unfold.”

The US State Department said that under the agreement, Israel reserves the right to defend itself “at any time against planned, threatened or sustained attacks.” But otherwise, Israel “will not conduct any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military and other state targets.”

Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but a Hezbollah official said the ceasefire was the result of negotiations between the US and Iran. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Israel and Hezbollah have fought several wars and have been fighting on and off since the day after the start of the Gaza war. Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement to end that war in November 2024, but Israel has continued almost daily attacks in an effort to prevent the Iran-backed militant group from regrouping. That escalated into a new invasion after Hezbollah again started firing rockets into Israel in response to the war against Iran.

A wave of diplomacy led to a ceasefire in Lebanon

The deal came after a meeting between the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon in Washington and a series of subsequent phone calls between Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a White House official said.

They were the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries in decades. Hezbollah opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.

Trump spoke Wednesday evening with Netanyahu, who agreed to a ceasefire under certain conditions, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rubio then called Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, who got on board. Trump then spoke to Aoun, and again to Netanyahu.

The State Department worked with both governments to draft a memorandum of understanding for the armistice.

Pakistani army chief meets Iranian parliament speaker

Pakistan’s army chief met the speaker of Iran’s parliament on Thursday as part of efforts to push for an extension of the ceasefire that has halted nearly seven weeks of war between Israel, the US and Iran.

Even as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and new Iranian threats put pressure on the ceasefire, regional officials reported progress, telling AP that the United States and Iran had an “agreement in principle” to extend the ceasefire to allow for more diplomacy. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three key sticking points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for war damage, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

Trump suggested the ceasefire could be extended.

“If we are close to a deal, would I renew?” Trump said this in a conversation with reporters. “Yes, I would.”

NEVER MISS A STORY: Be the first to receive your latest news and exclusive stories by following us on all platforms.