Enough, that's it—Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon
Trump claims Iran committed to keeping the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz open permanently and removing mines, calling it 'a wonderful and bright day for the world.' Iran's Foreign Ministry conditionally opened the strait to commercial traffic during the Lebanon ceasefire but warned closure remains possible if US blockades persist.
- Trump claims Iran committed to permanently keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and removing naval mines with US assistance
- Iran's Foreign Ministry conditionally opened the strait to commercial traffic only for the duration of the Lebanon ceasefire
- Brent crude fell 10.42% to $89.03/barrel; US WTI fell 11.11% to $84.17/barrel on the announcements
- Netanyahu said Israel has not completed operations against Hezbollah despite the 10-day ceasefire
- Trump denied a reported deal involving Iranian enriched uranium for $20 billion in frozen assets
Trump announced Iran has pledged never to close the Strait of Hormuz and is removing naval mines with US assistance, though Iran counters it will reconsider if blockades continue. The claims coincide with a Lebanon ceasefire and sharp oil price declines.
Donald Trump announced on Friday that Iran has committed to never again blocking the Strait of Hormuz, declaring the agreement a watershed moment for global stability. In a series of posts, the US president said Tehran is removing naval mines from the waterway with American assistance and pledged that the strategically vital passage will no longer serve as a pressure tool against the international community. "It is a wonderful and bright day for the world," he wrote.
But within hours, an Iranian official delivered a sharp rejoinder. Speaking to the Fars news agency, a Tehran representative said that if the American blockade of Iranian ports persists, Iran will treat it as a ceasefire violation and will close the Strait of Hormuz. The statement undercut Trump's triumphalism and exposed the fragility of whatever understanding had been reached. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered a narrower commitment: commercial ships would be permitted through the strait for the duration of the Lebanon ceasefire, using a coordinated shipping route managed by Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation. The conditional nature of the offer—tied explicitly to the ceasefire's continuation—suggested Tehran was trading temporary access for leverage, not surrendering its ability to choke off one of the world's most critical energy corridors.
Trump used the Strait announcement to launch a broader attack on NATO, claiming he had rejected an offer of allied assistance in clearing the waterway. He thanked Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar instead, and dismissed the alliance as a "paper tiger" that had been "useless when needed." The president argued that NATO's only interest in the Strait was the opportunity to load oil onto their ships, and that their involvement was unnecessary. The rhetorical move allowed Trump to claim a unilateral diplomatic victory while simultaneously weakening the transatlantic relationship.
On the nuclear question, Trump denied a report from Axios suggesting the US was negotiating a deal in which Iran would surrender its highly enriched uranium stockpiles in exchange for the release of $20 billion in frozen Iranian assets. He stated flatly that no financial transaction would occur and that the US would instead receive the "nuclear dust" created by American B-2 bombers. He also sought to separate the Iran nuclear agreement from the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, insisting that Israel had been "forbidden" from continuing bombing campaigns in the country. "Enough, that's it," he said, attempting to draw a line under months of escalating Israeli military operations.
Yet within hours, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that the ceasefire was merely a pause, not an endpoint. In a recorded statement, Netanyahu said Israel had not completed its operations against Hezbollah and would continue actions aimed at dismantling the organization. He framed the 10-day ceasefire as a temporary measure, agreed to at Trump's request, that would allow time to pursue a comprehensive political and military solution with Lebanon's government. Security issues, he emphasized, remained open, and Israel planned further moves to address threats from rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles. The gap between Trump's declarative statements and the actual commitments of the parties involved—Iran's conditional opening of the Strait, Israel's refusal to declare operations complete—suggested that the president was claiming victories that had not yet been won.
Oil markets reacted sharply to the announcements. Brent crude for June delivery fell 10.42 percent to $89.03 per barrel, while US WTI for May delivery dropped 11.11 percent to $84.17 per barrel. The declines reflected trader confidence that the Strait would remain open and that global energy supplies would not face disruption. But the volatility also underscored how precarious the arrangement was—dependent on Iran's interpretation of whether American blockades constituted a ceasefire violation, on Israel's willingness to honor Trump's prohibition on further bombing, and on the stability of a 10-day pause that both sides had already begun to redefine.
Citações Notáveis
Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz if the American blockade of Iranian ports continues, treating it as a ceasefire violation— Iranian official to Fars news agency
Israel has not completed its operations against Hezbollah and will continue actions aimed at dismantling the organization— Benjamin Netanyahu
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
When Trump says Iran has pledged never to close the Strait again, what exactly has he secured?
That's the question everyone's asking. What he seems to have is a statement of intent—Iran says it won't use the Strait as a pressure tool. But Iran immediately qualified it: only if the blockade ends. So it's not an unconditional pledge. It's conditional on American behavior.
And the mine removal? Is that actually happening?
Trump claims it is, with US assistance, but he provides no details. We don't have independent verification. It's one of those announcements where the specifics matter enormously, but they're not there.
Why did Netanyahu feel compelled to say Israel hasn't finished the job against Hezbollah?
Because Trump was trying to declare victory and draw a line. Netanyahu needed to signal to his domestic audience and to the Israeli military that this ceasefire doesn't mean the threat is over. He's keeping the door open for resumption.
Does Trump's attack on NATO change anything materially?
It's mostly rhetorical—a way to claim he solved the problem alone. But it does signal to Europe that he doesn't see them as partners in Middle East security. That has longer-term implications.
What do the oil prices tell us?
That traders believe, at least for now, the Strait will stay open. But the size of the drop—over 10 percent—shows how much uncertainty there was priced in before. One wrong move and those prices reverse.
So what's actually been agreed to here?
A 10-day pause in Lebanon, conditional openings of the Strait, and a lot of declarations that may or may not hold. The architecture is fragile because each side has reserved the right to resume if conditions change.