Live: Trump welcomes Iran's announcement that Strait of Hormuz is fully open to shipping
Issued on: 17/04/2026 - 03:17Modified: 17/04/2026 - 17:52
Share By: FRANCE 24 / Louise NORDSTROM
The Strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” to commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media Friday. US President Donald Trump welcomed the move, thanking Tehran for reopening the critical waterway. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
17/04/2026 - 17:52US will recover enriched uranium from Iran, Trump tells Reuters
US President Donald Trump alleged that the US will enter Iran at a "leisurely pace" to recover its enriched uranium and bring it back to the US, he said during a phone interview with Reuters.
17/04/2026 - 17:23Mine threat in parts of Hormuz not fully understood, US navy advisory says
The threat posed by mines in parts of the Strait of Hormuz is not fully understood and avoidance of the area by ships should be considered, a US navy advisory said.
"Status of TSS mine threat is not fully understood. Consider avoidance of that area," said the advisory sent by the US navy’s US NCAGS agency to mariners.
The TSS refers to the so-called Traffic Separation Scheme, which was adopted by the UN's shipping agency in 1968 with agreement of countries in the region, and created a ship routing system that split sailing corridors through Iranian and Omani waters in the strait.
It was not immediately clear whether the advisory was sent before or after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the Strait of Hormuz was open following the agreement of a ceasefire in Lebanon.
17/04/2026 - 17:16China steps out of the shadows in Iran war
China's President Xi Jinping has broken a six-week silence about the war in Iran, vowing to take a "constructive" role in efforts to end the conflict.
Beijing is wary of being drawn into a war it took no part in, and faces a delicate balancing act between its long-term partnership with Iran and its strategic interests in the Middle East and beyond.
FRANCE 24 spoke with Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, about what's behind Beijing's calculations.
17/04/2026 - 17:15Trump claims Iran has agreed to 'never' close Hormuz Strait again
US President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to never again shut the Strait of Hormuz, during a string of social media posts suggesting a peace deal with Tehran was near.
"Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World," Trump said on his Truth Social network, after Iran earlier said the crucial sea passage would remain open during a Middle East ceasefire.
17/04/2026 - 17:10Israeli drone strike kills one person in south Lebanon on first full day of truce, medics say
An Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon on Friday, the first full day of a US-brokered truce meant to end hostilities between Israel and armed group Hezbollah, paramedics in the area and the head of a local hospital told Reuters.
The reports of the strike came in minutes after US President Donald Trump said the United States had banned Israel from further bombing in Lebanon.
"A motorcyclist was killed in the town of Kunin, in the Bint Jbeil district, after being targeted by an enemy drone," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.
Under the terms of the truce, Israel reserves the right to continue targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to prevent "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks".
It also said Israeli troops will continue to occupy a 10-kilometre "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
17/04/2026 - 16:42Hezbollah lawmakers express 'cautious commitment' to ceasefire
Lebanese lawmakers representing Shiite group Hezbollah expressed their "cautious commitment" to a ceasefire with Israel but said it must ensure that all Israeli hostilities stop and must limit the Israeli military's "freedom of movement" in Lebanon.
Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc also criticised the Lebanese government, saying it had taken the country into an "extremely dangerous phase" by accepting direct negotiations with Israel.
17/04/2026 - 16:37Trump alleges Iran is removing mines from Hormuz Strait with US help
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran was removing mines from the Strait of Hormuz with US assistance, after Tehran said the crucial sea passage was reopen.
"Iran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines!" Trump said on his Truth Social network.
The US president's claim could not be independently verified.
17/04/2026 - 16:35Lebanon says nearly 2,300 people killed in Israel war
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed nearly 2,300 people since March 2, Lebanon's health ministry said, on the first day of the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
In a statement, the ministry said that at least 2,294 have been killed, in a preliminary toll that included 274 women, 177 children and 100 health workers and rescuers.
"The final toll of the aggression will be made after the rubble has been cleared, the martyrs have been recovered, DNA tests have been completed, and the identities of their owners have been determined," the ministry added.
17/04/2026 - 16:26Trump claims US has 'prohibited' Israel from bombing Lebanon
US President Donald Trump said Friday the United States had "prohibited" Israel from bombing Lebanon following a ceasefire deal, adding that Washington would work with Lebanon to "deal with" Hezbollah.
"Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!" Trump said on his Truth Social network.
17/04/2026 - 15:51Senior military Iran official says commercial ships can transit Hormuz Strait along set route with permission of Revolutionary Guards
17/04/2026 - 15:50Israeli army says lifting wartime restrictions
The Israeli army said it was lifting all war-time restrictions across the country, just hours after a 10-day truce with Lebanon came into force.
"The entire country will move to full activity levels, with no restrictions," an army statement said.
A final restriction on gatherings of more than 1,000 people on the northern frontier with Lebanon would be lifted at 1700 GMT on Saturday, it said.
17/04/2026 - 15:30US naval blockade will remain in place 'as it pertains to Iran', Trump says
US President Donald Trump said that the naval blockade on Iran will "remain in full force" until a deal with Tehran is struck.
His comments came after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open to all vessels following a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
17/04/2026 - 15:18Trump welcomes Iranian announcement that Strait of Hormuz open to shipping
- Lebanese army accuses Israel of ceasefire violations in south Lebanon
- Macron and Starmer to discuss multinational force for Strait of Hormuz security
- Loss of energy output in MidEast will take about two years to recover, IEA says
- Hezbollah says ‘finger on the trigger’ in case Israel violates truce
- Iran's foreign minister says passage of vessels through Hormuz Strait is open during ceasefire
Iran's foreign minister says passage of vessels through Hormuz Strait is open during ceasefire
Iran's foreign minister said that passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon.
The passage of vessels through the strait will be on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran, Abbas Araghchi added in a post on X.
17/04/2026 - 14:42Weapons supplies to Ukraine at risk due to Iran war, Zelensky says
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will join today's leaders meeting co-chaired by France and Britain to discuss restoring shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
In his daily address, he said again that US-Israeli war on Iran puts air defence weapons supply to Ukraine at risk.
17/04/2026 - 14:39Macron and Starmer meet at Élysée Palace ahead of Strait of Hormuz video conference
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are preparing to host a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the US-Israeli war on Iran is over.
FRANCE 24's Carys Garland reports the latest from the Élysée Palace.
17/04/2026 - 13:54UK police investigate security incident near London’s Israeli embassy
British police are investigating a security incident near the Israeli embassy in London after a group reported online that it had targeted the premises with drones.
Matt Jukes, the head of counter-terrorism at London police, said there were no signs the embassy had been attacked, but officers in protective clothing were assessing “discarded items” found near the building.
“Counter Terrorism policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claim to have targeted the nearby embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances,” Jukes said in a televised statement.
“And whilst we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we’re carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”
17/04/2026 - 13:27Israel says military operation against Hezbollah ‘still not complete’
According to Israel’s defence minister the campaign against the militant group Hezbollah is not yet complete.
“The ground manoeuver into Lebanon and the strikes on Hezbollah have achieved many gains, but they are still not complete,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a broadcast statement.
17/04/2026 - 13:03Lithuania says US has flagged possible ammunition delays due to Iran war
The United States has informed Lithuania of possible delays in the delivery of ammunition purchased from the US due to the war in the Middle East, the Baltic country’s defence ministry said.
Yesterday's key developments:
• A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect at 5pm EST on Thursday.
• French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen “but not at any price,” adding that G7 leaders stand ready to mitigate the war's economic fallout.
• IMF economists warned Thursday that the war in Iran could have “very, certainly severe” consequences far outside the region, especially for energy-importing countries.
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