Uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz remains, as ceasefire nears its end

woman is seen carrying an Iranian flag during a pro-government National Army Day demonstration on April 17, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe

Here are further updates in the Middle East conflict:

Strait of Hormuz | World leaders on ceasefire | Lebanon reactions | European leaders

A flurry of announcements and reactions on Friday

Iran said early Friday it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz for commercial ships, after Israel and Hezbollah began a temporary ceasefire overnight.

But while President Trump celebrated the reopening, he insisted the U.S. naval blockade remained in enforced on Iran.

The announcements came in a flurry of social media messages.

First, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz was "completely open" on a coordinated route previously indicated by Iran.

Trump responded with a slew of posts.

"THE 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," Trump wrote.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, told Iranian state outlet Mehr that if the naval blockade continues, Iran will take reciprocal action.

Trump also said Iran was removing "all sea mines," with the help of the U.S., presumably referring to mines placed in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices tumbled and stock markets rallied on the announcement the strait was open for commercial ships.

World leaders urge restraint as an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire takes hold

President Trump hailed the ceasefire to pause fighting between Israel and Hezbollah as a "historic day" for Lebanon. He later issued his strongest public comments demanding that Israel uphold the agreement, after urging the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah to do so.

"Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.

On Thursday night, he wrote: "I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be [a] GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire could open the door to a broader agreement with Lebanon, but made clear Israel would not withdraw from what he described as an expanded 10-kilometer-deep security buffer zone in southern Lebanon. He also said any talks would hinge on Hezbollah's disarmament.

A man walks among debris in a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Jibchit, southern Lebanon, Friday, following the start of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Hassan Ammar/AP

Hassan Ammar/AP

Lebanon's prime minister, Nawaf Salam, called the agreement a central Lebanese demand since the start of the war and said he hoped displaced residents would be able to return home soon.

Trump on Thursday also said he was inviting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for peace talks.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he welcomed the ceasefire and urged all sides to respect it fully, adding he hoped it would lead to negotiations toward a long term solution.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is credited for mediating the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, also welcomed the truce, calling it a step toward "sustainable peace" and reaffirmed his country's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, urged people displaced by the fighting not to rush back to southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs until the situation becomes clearer. The Israeli military also warned Lebanese residents not to return to their villages yet for their safety.

Hezbollah said in a separate statement any ceasefire must apply across Lebanese territory and warned that any continued Israeli presence would leave Lebanon with the right to resist depending on how events unfold.

Hezbollah has both a political wing, with several lawmakers in Lebanon's national parliament, and militia that operates largely independently of the Lebanese government and receives funding and direction from Iran.

Lebanon's government has pushed for a ceasefire before entering bigger diplomatic negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah opposes the talks.

Israel had agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon in 2024, but U.N. peacekeepers recorded more than 10,000 violations of that agreement, mostly by Israeli forces.

Thousands in Lebanon head home despite warnings

Thousands of people displaced by fighting in Lebanon in recent weeks began heading home Friday, hours after the ceasefire with Israel took effect, despite warnings from Hezbollah, Lebanese government officials and the Israeli military that it was still too dangerous to return home.

The war has displaced around 1.2 million people in Lebanon, according to United Nations and Lebanese figures, and many are now going back to assess the damage of their homes.

A supporter of Hezbollah holds a machine gun while celebrating the ceasefire with Israel as it takes effect after midnight in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Ibrahim Amro/AFP via Getty Images

Ibrahim Amro/AFP via Getty Images

Hussein Farhat, a shopkeeper from Beirut's southern suburbs — a Hezbollah stronghold that was repeatedly targeted in Israeli strikes — told NPR he was thinking about going home to check on his shop, but wouldn't move back until the fighting came to a permanent end.

"You feel a heartbreak just visiting your home and neighborhood and then you leave," he said. "It's heartbreaking."

Israeli forces have destroyed more than 40,000 homes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials, taking over whole villages to create what Israel says is a "security buffer zone" to keep Hezbollah from firing rockets into Israel.

The latest round of fighting began after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

In his remarks shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Netanyahu made clear Israel did not intend to withdraw soon, saying "we are not leaving."

In a lengthy statement on Friday, the Israeli prime minister's office said, "The road to peace is still long, but we have begun it." It added, "One of our hands holds a weapon; our other hand is extended in peace."

France and Britain push to restore long-term security in the Strait of Hormuz

Friday's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz was now open came as European leaders gathered in Paris for a meeting focused on securing freedom of navigation in the vital waterway, through which about 20% of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who hosted the international summit — welcomed the news but said there needs to be a long-lasting and workable solution.

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer prior to an international summit to push forward efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Friday, April 17, 2026. Michel Euler/AP

Michel Euler/AP

Leaders from dozens of countries attended the meeting, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Speaking after the summit, Starmer said that all attendees agreed that the strait should be opened without tolls or restrictions.

The U.S. was not involved in the talks, which Macron described as focused on a "strictly defensive" mission to protect commercial shipping when the fighting stops. That includes demining the route, intelligence sharing, military escorts and ensuring Iran does not charge ships for passing through the waterway.

The shipping route had been choked off by the war in the Middle East, with Iran effectively closing off the narrow strait. In addition, Iran's retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries' oil and gas refineries have caused further disruption in global supply. As a result, some international experts said the world was facing "the greatest energy security threat in history."

Ahead of the meeting, Starmer said the reopening of the strait was a "global responsibility," as countries worked to limit the economic fallout from the conflict, which has sent energy markets reeling.

Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.

The war on Iran has had severe consequences for economies across the Mideast.

A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the hardest-hit countries are Iran, Iraq and Qatar.

In addition to disruption of oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, major airports from Doha to Dubai have seen traffic drop dramatically because of the war, affecting revenue across the Gulf.|

The International Monetary Fund said the country worst-hit economically is Qatar, with a nearly 9% contraction to its economy this year due to a complete suspension of gas production.

The IMF also predicts that Iran's economy will shrink by 6% this year, and that Iraq's will contract by nearly 7%.

These figures are based on assumptions the current ceasefire holds and energy production resumes to normal levels by June.

Elsewhere in the region, according to the report, energy importers like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan have had to spend more due to soaring oil and gas prices, widening their fiscal deficits.