BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz, vital for the global oil trade, will remain “completely open” as long as a ceasefire in the Middle East lasts.

“The passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Araghchi said on X.

It was not clear whether he was speaking of the 10-day truce agreed by Lebanon and Israel that went into effect at midnight or an earlier two-week truce between Iran and the United States that began on April 8.

President Donald Trump welcomed Iran’s announcement, but said a US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is signed.

“THANK YOU!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying that Iran had announced the narrow waterway was “FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE.”

In a second message a few minutes later, Trump posted that “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 said, using his trademark style of all-capital letters.

Trump had said to reporters on Thursday that a peace deal with Iran was “very close” despite the fact that talks led by Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan at the weekend did not reach any breakthrough.