By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, April 17 (Yonhap) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday thanked Iran for opening the crucial Strait of Hormuz but said the United States’ naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain “in full force” until the two sides agree to a deal.
Trump made the remarks on social media after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the strait, a vital energy shipping route, is “completely” open for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which Trump announced on Thursday.
“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 percent complete,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in capital letters.
“This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated,” he added.
This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows U.S. President Donald Trump speaking at a roundtable event about no tax on tips in Las Vegas on April 16, 2026.
In a separate post, Trump said: “Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you!”
On Thursday, Trump claimed that Iran has agreed to almost everything, saying the new round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran might take place this weekend.
In particular, he said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that it has pledged to hand over the “nuclear dust,” a term that he uses to refer to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile that could be used to build a nuclear bomb.
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