Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Saturday that control of the Strait of Hormuz has been restored to its prior condition and that the waterway remains tightly managed by Iranian armed forces. Tehran added restrictions will stay in place until it sees the United States fully lift its blockade of Iranian ports. The announcement came after several days of mixed signals: Iranian officials earlier declared commercial passage reopened following a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, even as the U.S. maintained a naval blockade around Iran.
President Donald Trump, returning from a Phoenix rally, told reporters the blockade would persist even if commercial traffic resumed and warned he might not extend the ceasefire when it expires next week. Asked what he would do if no deal is reached, he said he might let the truce lapse and signaled a willingness to resume military action if necessary. He also said Iran was removing mines from the strait with U.S. assistance, referring to devices Iran had deployed there.
Many of the developments played out on social media. Iran’s foreign minister said coordinated commercial transit was “completely open” along a route Tehran had designated, while a Foreign Ministry spokesman warned that prolonged U.S. naval restrictions would prompt reciprocal Iranian measures. Trump posted that the strait was open and “ready for business,” but reiterated that the American blockade aimed at pressuring Tehran would remain until U.S. objectives were met.
Markets reacted quickly: oil prices fell and global stocks rose on reports that commercial shipping might resume through the strategic chokepoint that normally handles about 20% of the world’s crude and natural gas shipments.
World leaders called for restraint as the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire held. Trump described the pause as historic for Lebanon and publicly pressed Israel to respect the agreement, saying it should stop bombing Lebanese territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pause could allow broader talks but insisted Israeli forces would hold an expanded roughly 10-kilometer security buffer in southern Lebanon and tied further negotiations to Hezbollah’s disarmament.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the ceasefire and urged full compliance, saying it might pave the way to longer-term negotiations. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, credited with helping broker the U.S.-Iran component of the truce, also praised the agreement and called it a step toward sustainable peace while reaffirming Pakistan’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty. The White House said Trump planned to invite Netanyahu and Lebanon’s president to Washington for discussions.
Despite the truce, displaced Lebanese residents began returning home to assess damage, even as Hezbollah, Lebanese officials and the Israeli military advised caution until the security situation is clearer. The conflict has uprooted about 1.2 million people in Lebanon; officials say more than 40,000 homes in the south have been destroyed as Israeli forces created and expanded a buffer zone. Hezbollah urged civilians to wait before coming back and said any ceasefire must protect all of Lebanon; it warned that continued Israeli presence could revive the right to resist depending on how events unfold.
Hezbollah functions both as a political party in Lebanon’s parliament and as a militia that often operates independently of the national government and receives Iranian support. Lebanon’s authorities have pushed for a ceasefire as a precursor to diplomatic talks with Israel, a move opposed by Hezbollah.
In Paris, European leaders gathered for a summit focused on restoring long-term security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who hosted the meeting, welcomed reports that the strait was open to commercial traffic but said a durable, enforceable solution was needed. Attendees, including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, agreed the waterway should be free of tolls or extortion. Macron outlined proposed defensive measures such as demining, intelligence-sharing, naval escorts and steps to prevent Iran from imposing passage fees. The United States did not participate in the talks; the administration has criticized some European reluctance to engage more directly with Iran.
The conflict has had broad economic fallout. Damage to Gulf energy infrastructure, Iran’s temporary closure of the strait and retaliatory strikes on regional refineries strained oil and gas supplies. The International Monetary Fund identified Iran, Iraq and Qatar among the hardest-hit economies, projecting steep contractions this year—contingent on the ceasefire holding and energy production rebounding by June. Energy importers in the region, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan, face higher costs and widening fiscal pressures. Separately, the U.S. Treasury extended a temporary pause on some sanctions affecting Russian oil shipments to help blunt shortages tied to the Iran war.
With the ceasefire deadline approaching, the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, energy markets and regional stability remains unsettled. Iran’s insistence on tying any easing of maritime restrictions to the lifting of the U.S. blockade, America’s determination to keep pressure on Tehran, and fragile agreements between Israel and Lebanese actors leave key questions unresolved.