DAYS 45-48: Iran Says Strait Is Open as Trump Spins

After a Lebanon truce was declared, Iran said Friday the Strait of Hormuz is “completely open.” Trump said Iran peace talks could resume. None of the U.S. and Israeli war aims have been achieved, writes Joe Lauria.

Thursday, April 16 to Friday, April 17

By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News

Iran announced Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial shipping after a ceasefire was declared in Lebanon. 

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X:

“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.”

He didn’t make clear whether tolls would have to be paid and whether he was referring to the Iran or Lebanese ceasefire. Iran clearly linked the opening with the Lebanon truce, even though Donald Trump continues to insist they aren’t. 

The Iranian move also came two days after the foreign ministry of its ally China publicly called for the Strait to be open.

Trump in response unleashed a series of increasingly unhinged social media posts. Maybe the most interesting one was in relation to the Lebanese ceasefire: “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank you! President DJT.”

Let’s see if Netanyahu obeys that one. 

‘Nuclear Dust?’

Then there was this cryptic one: “The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers – No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form. This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either …” 

“Nuclear dust” is apparently Trump’s inane way of naming Iran’s stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium, which he thinks U.S. bombing has turned to “dust.” What would there be to give back then? 

He told Reuters that the process of getting the uranium is going at “a nice leisurely pace… start excavating with big machinery… We’ll bring it back to the United States.” Of course Iran has not confirmed any of this. What seems especially unlikely is that Iran would give it up if “no money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form.”

Alastair Crooke, the former British diplomat and intelligence officer, told CN Live! on Thursday that the reason Iran enriched a quantity of uranium to 60 percent after Trump pulled out of the JPCOA nuclear deal was to use it as a bargaining chip, possibly for the release of their own funds frozen by the U.S. Iran will not simply give it away the way Trump is saying. 

He then made this highly unlikely claim, not confirmed by Iran: “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” 

He also told NewsNation that Iran had “agreed to everything,” including all enrichment. By what means has Iran made these “agreements” with the U.S.?

Direct talks have not resumed, though Trump said they could this weekend and he’s ready to go to Islamabad to sign an agreement. In the interim it seems Trump is just making all this up about Iran’s agreements as a negotiating tactic.

One should never take too seriously anything Trump says, despite the office he occupies.  

Trump also said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, conducted hundreds of kilometers south of the Strait of Hormuz over the past four days would continue. He claims the blockade has been 100 percent effective though there are reports of many ships getting through. 

As he was leaving today for a trip to Las Vegas, Trump told reporters: “Iran wants to make a deal, and we’re dealing very nicely with them. We’ve got to have no nuclear weapons, that’s a big factor. They’re willing to do things today that they weren’t willing to do two months ago.” 

That last bit remains to be seen. They have been willing to forgo nuclear weapons for decades.

The announcement of the Strait opening came as European leaders were meeting in Paris to discuss “defensive” measure to keep the waterway open.  After they contacted Trump he put out this post on Truth Social:

“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger! President DJT.”

If Trump turns out to be right that the war will be over in days, an objective assessment shows that none of Trump’s and Netanyahu’s war time aims have been met: the Iranian government was not overthrown, its ballistic missiles are still intact, Tehran maintains relationships with its regional allies, it continues to enrich uranium and still maintains its 6o percent stockpile. 

Of course some of this may be bargained away for some of Iran’s demands but there are no grounds for Trump now to declare victory.

Lebanon

The Lebanese-Israeli truce was negotiated between Tel Aviv and the Lebanese government, not Hezbollah. Essentially the central government in Beirut and Israel are on the same side against Hezbollah and both want it disarmed.

Though Hezbollah is not part of the deal, it said it would observe the truce — for now. Netanyahu insists on Hezbollah’s disarmament and rejected Hezbollah’s condition that Israel withdraw to the international border. “That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said. 

Joe Lauria is editor-in-chief of Consortium News and a former U.N. correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and other newspapers, including The Montreal Gazette, the London Daily Mail and The Star of Johannesburg. He was an investigative reporter for the Sunday Times of London, a financial reporter for Bloomberg News and began his professional work as a 19-year old stringer for The New York Times. He is the author of two books, A Political Odyssey, with Sen. Mike Gravel, foreword by Daniel Ellsberg; and How I Lost By Hillary Clinton, foreword by Julian Assange.