WASHINGTON/GENEVA: The US on Thursday lifted a blockade of Iranian ports imposed during the Middle East war after President Donald Trump signed a deal to end the conflict.
The signing of the deal by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian set in motion a 60-day period for talks on wider issues between the two foes, including the Iranian nuclear programme.
But there was uncertainty over the next steps, and it remained unclear if the two sides, who have had no diplomatic relations following the 1979 Islamic revolution, would hold a signing ceremony and talks in Switzerland on Friday as previously announced.
Oil prices tumbled after the agreement was inked, though activity was still muted in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck for energy shipments that Iran blockaded during the conflict and which should reopen immediately under the deal.
American forces on Thursday lifted their parallel naval blockade of Iranian ports that had prevented ships from sailing to or from the Islamic republic, the US military said, noting that American warships “will remain in the general area”.
Three Saudi oil tankers left the Gulf through the strait on Thursday, maritime trackers said, while the loaded liquefied natural gas vessel (LNG) Mraikh became the first such French vessel to make the transit since the start of the conflict.
The US military, which had enforced its own blockade after Iran shut the Strait at the start of the war, has allowed at least 12 ships to pass through, Vice President JD Vance said.
Before the war, the strait saw around 120 transits per day, according to the shipping journal Lloyd’s List.
Vance said he planned to go to Switzerland for “technical negotiations” with Iran “this weekend” rather than Friday, but emphasised that the plan “could change”.
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