Energy & Environment Newsletter

Iran opens Strait of Hormuz, key official says

by Rachel Frazin - 04/17/26 6:51 PM ET

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by Rachel Frazin - 04/17/26 6:51 PM ET

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Energy & Environment

The Big Story

Iran opens Strait of Hormuz, key official says

A key Iranian official announced that the critical global shipping lane known as the Strait of Hormuz is “completely” open after being mostly closed since the war between the U.S. and Iran broke out earlier this year.

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arahgchi wrote Friday in a post on the social platform X.

Oil prices dropped dramatically on Friday amid the announcement.

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate was down by about 10 percent on Friday afternoon.

However, an Iranian state news outlet on Friday questioned the “unexpected tweet” from Araghchi.

The Fars News Agency, reacting to the post, wrote on X that along with Araghchi’s “unexpected tweet about the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz, and following Trump’s subsequent nervous saber-rattling, Iranian society has been plunged into an atmosphere of confusion,” according to X’s translation from Persian.

Read more about the announcement from The Hill’s Julia Manchester, oil prices from me and the Fars statement from The Hill’s Ryan Mancini.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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