Israel Announces Partial Lifting of War-time Restrictions

On April 17, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will keep blockading the Strait of Hormuz until it reaches an agreement with Iran. Earlier, Iranian officials threatened that if the U.S. Navy continues its blockade, Tehran will view it as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and close the strait.

April 17 — Reuters: U.S. President Trump said he could visit Islamabad if an agreement is reached, but no final decision has been made. Additional talks on the Iran nuclear deal may take place this weekend.

**APRIL 17 — Iran has set three conditions for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, per Iran’s Tasnim News Agency (reported April 17) and Xinhua.** 1. **Vessels must be commercial (military ships are banned). Neither the ships nor their cargo may be linked to hostile countries.** 2. **Ships must use Iran’s designated waterway.** 3. **Passage must be coordinated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.** **A source noted that if the U.S. continues enforcing a naval blockade, Iran will deem it a ceasefire agreement violation and close the strait.**

April 17: After Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, former President Donald Trump posted 11 consecutive tweets weighing in on the situation. Trump said the Strait of Hormuz has fully reopened, that Iran is clearing mines with U.S. assistance, and that Iran “will no longer close the strait or use it as a weapon against the world.” He emphasized, however, that the maritime blockade against Iran will continue until “relevant agreements are fully achieved.” He also claimed the U.S. “destroyed Iran’s nuclear program” and will secure relevant nuclear materials, while thanking Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar for their support. In his posts, Trump again criticized NATO as “ineffective at critical moments” and slammed outlets like *The New York Times* and CNN for not giving positive coverage of his actions. Additionally, Trump commented on the situation in Lebanon, stating he will restrict Israeli actions and that th

On April 17, the U.S. Navy issued a notice to sailors noting that the mine threat in some areas of the Strait of Hormuz remains not fully understood, and advising sailors to consider avoiding those areas.

Iranian officials, per Iranian media outlet Fars News, said on April 17 that if the U.S. Navy maintains its blockade, Tehran will view this as a ceasefire agreement violation and close the Strait of Hormuz.