President Trump took to Truth Social on Friday morning with some good news for enthusiasts of the Strait of Hormuz being fully open and operational: “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 17, 2026
The declaration from the president came on the heels of an announcement by Iran that the Strait was open to commercial traffic during the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. "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," Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X. He added that vessels must use a "coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran."
Following the foreign minister's tweet, President Trump followed up with a clarification of his own (and yet another warning shot to Iran): yes, the Strait is open for business, but the U.S. naval blockade "will remain in full force" until a deal with Iran is "100% complete.
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. THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! PRESIDENT DONALD J.TRUMP
As RedState's Ward Clark reported earlier this week, the naval blockade coordinated by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) involves 10,000 U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen and dozens of warships and aircraft. CENTCOM revealed Thursday that the first 72 hours of the blockade were successful, with 14 ships having "turned around to comply with the blockade."
READ MORE: Breaking: Trump Announces Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire After Rubio-Led Negotiations
Despite the Bluster No One Has Challenged the U.S. Navy's Blockade of Iran's Ports
Also on Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to "choose wisely" when deciding whether or not to enter into a peace deal, telling them the U.S. is "locked and loaded" and prepared to strike at Iran's infrastructure if a deal isn't brokered.
"We'll start with a message to Iran's military leadership," Hegseth said. "We're watching you. Our capabilities are not the same, our military and yours. Remember, this is not a fair fight, and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to while you are digging out, which is exactly what you're doing. Digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities."
President Trump revealed Thursday evening that, in ongoing efforts to tamp down military actions in the Middle East, a 10-day ceasefire had been agreed to by Israel and Lebanon. This agreement followed an intense campaign earlier this month that saw Israel target Hezbollah strongholds within Lebanon with intense air strikes.
Oil prices fell by more than 11 percent after the news of the Strait being open was made public.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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