On April 17, 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the Strait of Hormuz is “declared completely open” for commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ceasefire. Oil plunged 10% to roughly $85 per barrel, and stock markets surged to all-time highs.
Trump hailed the news and thanked Tehran — but said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force” until a peace deal is reached. So the strait is “open” for non-Iranian commercial traffic, but the blockade of Iranian ports continues.
The timeline tells the story of a self-inflicted crisis: Trump started the war (February 28) that caused Iran to close the strait. The closure drove gas from $3 to $4.12+ nationally. Trump then ordered a naval blockade (April 13) with 10,000+ troops that ships defied on day one. Now Iran reopens the strait during a ceasefire, and Trump takes credit while maintaining the blockade.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward noted that during the first week, only “sanctioned, falsely flagged, Iran-linked, or otherwise risk-tolerant vessels” used the strait — “No blue-chip operators returned.” The reopening is Iran's declaration, not yet validated by actual commercial shipping behavior.