Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Oil Prices Drop

0:00It's April 17th. Welcome in. This is U.S. News Today, where national headlines meet AI. President Donald Trump dropped the post on Truth Social, saying Iran just announced the straight of Hormuz is fully open for all passage, and he thanked them for it. But he made clear the naval blockade stays locked on Iran until their deal wraps up completely, which should move fast since most points are already, hashed out. Iran's foreign minister backed that up quick, confirming commercial ships can pass through during the ceasefire linked to the Lebanon conflict. They declared it open Friday, as part of that temporary halt, and fighting between Israel and Lebanon, which kicked off Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern. Time and runs for 10 days. Ships have the stick to a coordinated route set by Iran's ports group. Oil markets felt the relief right away, with prices dropping more than 11 percent on hopes of steady supply from this key choke point that carries. A huge chunk of the world's oil. It's a big deal for global energy, especially since the straight sits in Iran's waters,

1:04but is state open through past tensions. Meanwhile, Iran's deputy foreign minister stressed they're committed to keeping it flowing, but any tweaks would factor in security and safe passage. He pushed hard for a wider truce, stretching from Lebanon to the Red Sea, calling limited deals a no-go, and blemming U.S. and Israeli moves for messing. Uptrade Pakistan's army chief has been in Tehran since Wednesday, meeting top Iranian leaders to help mediate and cool things down, building on their past. Roll in a 14-day Washington Tehran ceasefire. This straight reopening ties right into those broader U.S. Iran talks amid the Israel, Husbalah, Flerop, even with Iran's routing rules still in play.