By Parisa Hafezi, Steve Holland and Naira Abdallah
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) – Iran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday after a cease-fire deal in Lebanon, raising hopes for peace talks, but Tehran warned it could close the critical waterway again if the recent U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continues.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced on social media that the strait, a narrow chokepoint of global energy trade, is open to all commercial ships for the remainder of a 10-day ceasefire agreed on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, which was attacked by Israel after joining the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group.
US President Donald Trump, who along with Israel launched a war with Iran on February 28 that killed thousands of people and led to the de facto closure of the strait, told supporters at a rally in Arizona that Araqchi’s announcement was “a great and bright day for the world”.
But subsequent statements and clarifications from both sides left uncertainty about how quickly shipping could return to normal, and some ships could be seen making unsuccessful attempts to cross the strait on Friday before turning back.
Trump said the U.S. embargo on ships bound for Iranian ports, announced after talks with Iran ended without a deal, would remain in place “until our transaction with Iran is 100 percent complete.”
Iran reacted strongly, with Iran’s parliament speaker and senior negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf saying in a social media post that the strait, which currently carries a fifth of the world’s oil trade, “will not remain open” if the US blockade continues. He also said Trump made several false claims about the peace talks on Friday.
Iran says all ships must coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was not the case before the war. Military ships and vessels linked to “enemy powers”, the US and Israel, were still not allowed to pass, the Defense Ministry said in a statement quoted by state television.
Ship traffic data showed a group of about 20 ships, including container ships, bulk carriers, and tankers, headed toward the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf on Friday evening, but most turned back, though it was unclear why. The group included three container ships operated by French shipping group CMA CGM, which declined to comment.
It was the largest group of ships to attempt the transit since the start of the war.
It was also unclear how the two sides would address Iran’s nuclear program, which has so far been a sticking point in the peace talks, with Iran defending what it says is a civilian nuclear energy program.
Trump told Reuters that the US would remove Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Bagai told state TV that the material should not be moved.
Separately, a senior Iranian official said Iran hoped to reach a preliminary agreement in the coming days that could extend the ceasefire that expires next week. That could take more time to negotiate the lifting of sanctions on Iran and reparations for war damages, the official said.
Oil prices fall, stocks jump
Oil prices fell nearly 10%, and global stocks jumped on news that sea traffic could once again flow through the strait. [O/R] [MKTS/GLOB]
Shipping companies cautiously welcomed Iran’s announcement but said they needed clarification, including the risks of mines, before ships could move through entry points in the Gulf.
The US Navy warned that the mine threat in some parts of the waterway was not fully understood and that they should consider avoiding the area.
After a video conference on Friday, more than a dozen countries said they were willing to join an international mission to protect shipping in the strait when conditions allowed, Britain said.
Diplomacy progress
Trump told Reuters that more peace talks would likely take place this weekend. Some diplomats said the logistics of a gathering in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, where the talks are expected to take place, have not been given.
A Pakistani source involved in the mediation effort said the upcoming meeting could lead to an initial memorandum and then a comprehensive peace agreement within 60 days.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that a freeze on billions of dollars in Iranian assets had been agreed as part of the deal, without giving a timeline. Later on Friday, Trump, who has repeatedly referred to the peace deal as a “deal” or “deal,” told an Arizona rally with supporters that “no money will change hands in any way, shape or form.”
At talks last weekend, the US proposed suspending all Iranian nuclear activities for 20 years, while Iran suggested a freeze of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Two Iranian sources said there were signs of a deal that could remove part of the stockpile.
Trump told Reuters the U.S. may not act quickly enough. “We’re going to go at a pretty leisurely pace with Iran, and go down and start drilling with big machinery,” he said in a phone interview. “We will bring it back to the United States.”
He referred to “nuclear fallout” in reference to the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities by the US and Israel in June last year.
Despite Trump’s optimism, Iranian sources told Reuters that “differences remain to be resolved” before an initial deal, while senior clerics struck a defiant tone during Friday prayers.
“Our people do not negotiate when they are humiliated,” said cleric Ahmad Khatami.
A U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be largely on hold on Friday, although the Lebanese army reported some Israeli violations. Paramedics say an Israeli drone strike has killed a man in southern Lebanon.
The conflict resumed on March 2 when Hezbollah, backed by Iran, opened fire on Israel, with Israeli strikes killing nearly 2,300 people, officials said.
(Reporting by Reuters Bureau; Writing by Andy Sullivan, Sharon Singleton, Rose Russell and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Alex Richardson, Andrew Havens, Nia Williams and Alistair Bell)
