🟩 Iran Opens Strait Of Hormuz
A Fragile Step Torward Regional Peace
On Friday, 17 April, Iran announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for all commercial ships for the remaining period of the two-week-long ceasefire with the US, a day after a ceasefire deal was achieved in Lebanon.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump had announced that a ceasefire deal was finalized between Israel and Lebanon. According to the deal, Israel and Hezbollah will cease all hostilities against each other for the next ten days, in order to allow the two states to make a final ceasefire agreement.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, quoting the Lebanese deal, confirmed that “the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire.”
He, however, also made it clear that all such movements will be coordinated through the routes already announced by the Port and Maritime organization of Iran.
Iran has also clarified that free transit through the Strait of Hormuz does not apply to military vessels.
A defensive move:-
The strait is crucial for the navigation of more than a quarter of the world's energy resources, and thus the Iranian move sent shockwaves in the global economy. Later, Iran clarified that except for the US and its allies, the strait was open for all, in exchange for a transit fee, also proposing an arrangement for its management even after the war ended.
Iran had claimed that a comprehensive regional peace on all fronts, including Lebanon, was one of the fundamental principles of its 10-point proposal, accepted by the US. Following Iran's refusal to open the strait over Israeli bombings in Lebanon and the failure of the first round of talks in Islamabad, the US announced a counter-naval blockade of Iran on Monday.
Al-Jazeera reported that at least one Lebanese citizen was killed in an Israeli drone strike on Friday, a day after the ceasefire was announced.