The strait is open - and no one knows what that really means

Donald Trump announced it. Iran had stated that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open, ready for all shipping traffic. Minutes later, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, confirms exactly that. All commercial ships can pass again. Fully open. The timing is not a coincidence. The statement is linked to the ceasefire in Lebanon. Araghchi makes it clear that the opening is tied to this agreement. It applies for the duration of the ceasefire. After that, everything is open again. According to our current findings, China and Saudi Arabia exerted significant pressure on Iran to restore stability in the region and in global trade.

At first glance, it appears to be a breakthrough. For weeks, the strait was blocked, restricted, controlled. Tankers waited, supply chains were under pressure. Now everything is supposed to resume.

But the decisive question remains unanswered. What happens to the American blockade. It still exists. More than ten thousand soldiers are deployed to enforce it. The opening by Iran and the control by the United States exist side by side. This creates a situation that cannot be easily resolved. Ships are allowed to move, but under conditions that are not clearly defined. Who controls the traffic. Who decides what is allowed to happen.

Trump adopts the narrative from Tehran and amplifies it. The strait is open, ready, accessible. A sentence meant to signal calm. At the same time, it remains unclear how stable this opening is. Araghchi formulates it more cautiously. Passage is permitted as long as the ceasefire holds. An addition that puts everything into perspective. What remains is a temporary opening. A decision tied to another. And shipping that resumes without the rules being fully clarified.