Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ by the US from bombing Lebanon, Trump says
A half hour after posting that the US naval blockade on Iran was still in effect, Donald Trump posted that “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer”.
“They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank you!” the US president wrote.
Updated at 10.41 EDT
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Thomas Kazakos, the secretary-general for the International Chamber of Shipping said in a statement to the Guardian the announcements today about the reopening of the strait of Hormuz offer “a cautious measure of reassurance to the global maritime community”.
He continued:
double quotation mark While this announcement is a positive step there is still much uncertainty around what it means in practice. Regardless it is essential that it marks the beginning of a broader and more durable return, beyond the current ceasefire, to freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors.
An orderly and sustained return to normal transit through the Strait will be essential. This will require close coordination between the International Maritime Organization, regional states, naval authorities, and the shipping industry to ensure that vessels can transit safely.
Above all, it is imperative that full freedom of navigation is respected by all parties in accordance with international law.
When asked about a Truth Social post made by Donald Trump in which he claimed that Nato offered to help the US with the strait of Hormuz, a Nato official responded:
double quotation markNATO observed today’s meeting on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and is closely monitoring the military planning being carried out.
In the post, Trump said Nato was “useless when needed” and had only offered to help after the strait was reopened, describing the military alliance as a “paper tiger”.
Updated at 11.21 EDT
Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general of the UN’s International Maritime Organisation, said his agency is “currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage using the IMO established traffic separation scheme”.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, had posted on X earlier that “passage for all commercial vessels through strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire”.
Moments later, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the strait was “COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE” but that the US naval blockade of Iran would remain in place.
Updated at 11.16 EDT
Trump says Iran has agreed to never close the strait of Hormuz again
In his tenth Truth Social post in an hour, Donald Trump said that 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.
“A GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD!” Trump wrote in a post moments before.
ShareHormuz deal not tied to Lebanon, Trump says
Donald Trump reminded his followers, shortly after posting that Iran “has removed, or is removing” all sea mines, that “this deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon”.
“This deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon, but we will, MAKE LEBANON GREAT AGAIN!” Trump posted.
ShareTrump claims Nato offered to help with strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump said on Friday that Nato has offered to help the US with the strait of Hormuz.
Nato did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
This was the US president’s sixth post in two hours. During this time, Trump celebrated Iran’s announcement that the strait of Hormuz, declared the US naval blockade was still in place and proclaimed that the Israel was now prohibited by the US from bombing Lebanon.
The president has since gone on to post five more times in 18 minutes.
Updated at 10.40 EDT
Netanyahu: We are not done yet with Hezbollah
Minutes before Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the US was prohibiting Israel from bombing Lebanon, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu uploaded a video address to his official YouTube page declaring that Israel was not done yet with Hezbollah.
In the address, Netanyahu said Israel had agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon at the request of Trump, which has given Israel the opportunity to promote a combined political and military solution with the Lebanese government.
Netanyahu described it as one hand holding a weapon while the other is extended in peace.
Updated at 10.40 EDT
Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ by the US from bombing Lebanon, Trump says
A half hour after posting that the US naval blockade on Iran was still in effect, Donald Trump posted that “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer”.
“They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank you!” the US president wrote.
Updated at 10.41 EDT
Iran’s state tv has reported that ships seeking passage through the strait of Hormuz can only go through a determined route and still need permission from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, according to Reuters.
Only commercial vessels, and not military ships, can pass the waterway, Iran’s state TV reported, citing a senior military official.
ShareTrump says US naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain until deal is reached
Donald Trump has issued a further comment on the strait of Hormuz, saying it was “completely open and ready for business”.
In another all caps post on Truth Social, he said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force” until a deal is reached with Iran. He added that the process should move quickly, given that “most of the points are already negotiated”.
He wrote:
double quotation markTHE 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!
Updated at 09.38 EDT
Oil falls 10% after the reopening of strait of Hormuz
The oil price is tumbling, after Iran announced that the strait of Hormuz is now open.
Crude oil has plunged on hopes that energy supplies could resume after weeks of disruption.
Brent crude, the benchmark for oil traded globally, has plunged below $90 a barrel, a 10% fall.
For the latest updates on the economic impact of the war in the Middle East and other financial news, you can follow our business live blog here:
ShareTrump reacts to announcement of strait of Hormuz reopening
Following Iran’s announcement that the strait of Hormuz is open, Donald Trump has issued his response in an all caps post on his Truth Social app.
He wrote:
double quotation markIRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!
ShareIran foreign minister says passage though Hormuz strait is open during ceasefire
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, posted on X on Friday that “passage for all commercial vessels through strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire”.
The passage through the strait will be on the coordinated route announced by the Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran, Araghchi said.
Updated at 09.10 EDT