Iran’s FM says Strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’ during Lebanon ceasefire

[0:00] We just want to bring you more on our breaking news. [0:03] Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi has just announced [0:06] that in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, [0:09] the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz [0:13] is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire. [0:19] He has just tweeted this only a few minutes ago. [0:23] We're going to go to our Chief US Correspondent, Alan Fisher now. [0:25] He joins us from Washington, D.C., from the White House. [0:29] Alan, this is a significant moment, isn't it? [0:33] Especially coming not long after Donald Trump said he was optimistic [0:37] that talks could potentially resume, Alan. [0:42] Yeah, I mean, as we've said in the last couple of days, [0:45] these things tend to be staged. [0:47] It's you do this, then we do that. [0:48] If this happens, then that happens. [0:50] And that could well be what we're seeing, [0:52] a sequencing of things moving towards more significant talks with Iran. [0:57] One of Iran's demands was, of course, that there was a ceasefire in Lebanon. [1:02] The United States may well have said, and we've nothing to back this up, [1:06] but certainly, if you read the tea leaves, it suggests, [1:09] look, if we get the ceasefire in Lebanon, [1:13] then we open up the Strait of Hormuz. [1:15] The big question mark over all of this, of course, [1:18] is what America does next, [1:19] because they have the blockade of Iranian ports. [1:22] They've said that nothing is coming in or coming out. [1:25] They've interdicted a number of vessels [1:26] that have already made that journey. [1:28] They have stopped a couple of oil tankers [1:31] that were coming out of Iran in the last 24 hours. [1:34] So what do they do next? [1:36] Is this part of the sequencing, [1:38] or does that stay in place because they believe [1:40] that's an important pressure point for Iran [1:43] and also for those who support Iran [1:45] or do business with Iran, the likes of China, [1:47] to get them to a negotiating table [1:50] and then to deliver on a peace deal? [1:53] Now, I don't think there's any issue [1:54] with getting Iran to the negotiating table. [1:57] It's what's actually agreed when they get there [1:59] and whether or not they are actually open [2:02] to some of the U.S. demands. [2:04] But clearly, the U.S. has been open [2:06] to what Iran has been saying [2:07] because they have said, [2:09] look, we want a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of it. [2:12] That has been delivered, by and large. [2:15] But then the next step, obviously, [2:18] was you open up the Strait of Hormuz. [2:20] We might be reading too much into this, [2:22] but it tends to be, in these things, [2:25] sequenced events. [2:26] And certainly, that's the pattern [2:28] that we're seeing here. [2:29] OK, Ellen, obviously, like you say, [2:30] a sequence of events. [2:32] We know that Islamabad and Pakistan, [2:34] they've been gearing up for a second round [2:37] of potential talks. [2:39] A lot goes on behind the scenes, obviously. [2:42] Is there any indication from the White House [2:46] that they might be getting ready [2:47] to re-engage with Iran in negotiations? [2:52] Well, certainly not in the coming days. [2:54] I mean, everything that we're seeing in public [2:56] does not suggest that is happening. [2:59] By this time last week, [3:00] J.D. Vance was already on his way to Islamabad. [3:04] Today, he's not. [3:05] Marco Rubio could have been on his way to Islamabad. [3:09] Today, he's not. [3:10] Those things aren't happening, [3:13] but they can happen very quickly. [3:14] And as you say, as we've seen [3:16] from the events of the last 24 hours, [3:19] things can happen very quickly. [3:20] There was the meeting on Tuesday [3:22] at ambassadorial level between Lebanon and Israel. [3:25] There was talks that there might be a chat [3:27] between the leaders on Thursday. [3:28] Donald Trump fuelled that himself [3:30] by sending out a Truth Social post. [3:33] But behind the scenes, things were happening. [3:35] There was the conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu. [3:37] There was the conversation with Joseph Aoun, [3:40] the Lebanese president. [3:42] And while all of that was going on, [3:44] the State Department was working behind the scenes [3:47] to draw up a memorandum of understanding. [3:49] Essentially, this is the template [3:51] for how a ceasefire in Lebanon [3:54] would work for both the Israelis and the Lebanese. [3:57] So all of that could be going on behind the scenes. [3:59] But certainly, public-facing, [4:01] we're not seeing anything that suggests [4:03] that J.D. Vance is about to leap on Air Force Two, [4:06] the vice-presidential jet, [4:08] and head to Islamabad. [4:09] The other thing to remember, of course, [4:10] is that Donald Trump said yesterday [4:12] that if he thought there was going to be a deal, [4:14] he himself would go to Islamabad. [4:16] He's currently in the west of the country, [4:18] here in the United States. [4:19] He was in Nevada on Thursday. [4:22] And he's going to be in Arizona on Friday. [4:25] He's not making preparations [4:27] to head to Pakistan anytime soon. [4:30] OK. Thanks so much, Helen. [4:32] Stay with us. [4:32] Just want to bring that breaking news [4:35] for people who are just joining us. [4:36] This is coming from the Iranian Foreign Minister, [4:39] Abbas Aranshi. [4:40] He's just commented on the ceasefire in Lebanon, [4:43] saying that as a result, [4:45] the Strait of Hormuz is now completely open [4:48] in a social media post. [4:50] He said, [4:50] in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, [4:52] the passage for all commercial vessels [4:55] through the Strait of Hormuz [4:56] is declared completely open [4:58] for the remaining period of the ceasefire [5:01] on the coordinated route [5:02] as already announced [5:04] by Ports and Maritime Organization [5:07] of the Islamic Republic of Iran. [5:09] I'm going to bring in Tohid Asadi now. [5:11] He joins us from Tehran. [5:13] And, Tohid, [5:14] what else has Arachi had to say? [5:21] Well, actually, [5:22] this is a message [5:23] that he posts on his ex-account [5:26] that we heard. [5:27] And obviously, [5:27] this is very much important. [5:29] He's talking about [5:30] the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. [5:32] And he's talking about [5:34] opening of it to commercial vessels. [5:36] While previously, [5:37] we had it from different Iranian officials [5:39] that Strait of Hormuz [5:41] is going to be open for everyone, [5:43] but close to our adversaries. [5:44] The reality on the ground [5:47] was that the traffic of the transit [5:49] across the Strait of Hormuz [5:51] over the past weeks [5:52] was, I can say, [5:54] unprecedentedly low [5:56] compared to the normal time. [5:58] And practically speaking, [6:00] we saw a very limited number [6:02] of ships and vessels [6:03] going through the trajectory [6:04] of this important [6:05] and this geo-strategically [6:08] significant chalk point. [6:10] And we know that, [6:11] speaking of that, [6:12] we earlier heard [6:13] from the Iranian side [6:14] that they are looking for [6:15] a new regime of management [6:17] across the Strait of Hormuz, [6:20] a sort of selective approach [6:22] by the Iranians. [6:23] They said that [6:24] it's going to be open [6:26] for everyone, [6:27] but not our adversaries. [6:29] And right now, [6:30] this is a new statement, [6:31] very much important. [6:33] And obviously, [6:33] added to that [6:34] is another important statement [6:36] that we actually have been hearing [6:39] from time to time [6:40] from Iranians [6:41] about the plans [6:42] to impose actually charges [6:45] and transit fees [6:47] for the ships and vessels [6:48] going through [6:49] the trajectory [6:49] of this chalk point. [6:51] And we know that, [6:52] speaking of the role [6:54] of this straits, [6:56] when it comes to [6:56] the energy market, [6:58] when it comes to [6:58] the security context [7:00] across the region, [7:01] Iran is trying, [7:02] in a sense, [7:03] to use it [7:03] as a leverage, [7:05] as a bargaining chip [7:06] when it comes to negotiations [7:08] down the road. [7:09] And speaking of that, [7:10] it is obviously [7:11] an important development [7:12] because following [7:14] the failure [7:14] of the previous round [7:16] of talks, [7:17] we heard [7:18] from the spokesperson [7:18] of the Ministry [7:20] of Foreign Affairs [7:21] that most issues [7:23] are settled down. [7:24] However, [7:24] there are several [7:25] sticking points [7:26] and reportedly [7:28] a strait of Hormuz [7:29] was one of them. [7:30] Iran said [7:30] that it is conditioned [7:32] upon a sort [7:33] of comprehensive ceasefire [7:35] across the region, [7:36] particularly including [7:38] the Lebanese front. [7:40] And right now, [7:40] following the developments [7:42] that we hear about [7:43] from the Lebanese front, [7:45] it's a sort of response, [7:48] strategically speaking, [7:49] from Tehran [7:50] that could or could not [7:52] pave the way [7:53] for a further [7:55] facilitated approach [7:56] when it comes to negotiations. [7:58] We know that [7:59] there are other [8:00] sticking points, [8:01] it goes without saying, [8:02] a long list [8:03] which includes [8:04] basically the war reparation, [8:07] the security assurances [8:08] Iran is looking for, [8:10] the frozen assets, [8:11] the sanction relief, [8:13] Iran's regional relations, [8:14] and the list goes on and on. [8:16] And if we just juxtapose [8:17] the 10-point proposal [8:19] by the Iranians [8:20] and the 15-point proposal [8:22] by the Americans, [8:24] we can rest assured [8:25] that there are [8:26] other points of contention [8:27] when it comes to [8:28] any potential rapprochement. [8:30] However, [8:31] we have to keep in mind [8:32] that this is certainly [8:34] a very important, [8:36] positive step forward [8:38] when it comes to [8:39] a possibility [8:40] of negotiated settlement [8:42] between Tehran [8:43] and Washington. [8:44] Whether or not [8:45] at the end of the day [8:46] there is going to be [8:47] a next round of talks [8:49] is a very important question. [8:50] There is no official confirmation [8:52] in that regard [8:53] from Tehran. [8:54] However, [8:55] we know that [8:55] diplomatic engagement [8:57] goes on [8:58] as we've got it [8:59] from Prime Minister [9:00] Abbas al-Aqshid [9:01] during his phone calls [9:02] with many [9:03] counterparts [9:04] beyond the region [9:05] and across the region. [9:07] And also Tehran [9:08] says that [9:08] it continues [9:09] its contacts [9:10] with Islamabad, [9:11] a sort of [9:12] mediated communication [9:13] with the United States. [9:14] That's something [9:15] that they call. [9:16] And this could [9:17] pave the way [9:18] for a next round [9:20] of talks in Islamabad [9:21] or elsewhere. [9:22] Tehran previously [9:23] said that Islamabad [9:24] is their priority [9:25] for such a [9:26] talks to be held. [9:28] But still, [9:29] we have to keep in mind [9:30] all in all [9:31] that we're dealing [9:31] with a very fragile, [9:33] very brittle situation [9:35] in that regard. [9:36] Whether the two [9:37] sides, [9:38] can at the end [9:39] of the day [9:40] translate this opportunity, [9:42] seize this opportunity [9:43] to come up [9:44] with a diplomatic solution [9:46] remains to be seen. [9:48] While on the other hand, [9:49] we have to keep in mind [9:50] that also today [9:51] we've got a statement [9:52] from IRGC, [9:54] the Revolutionary Guard, [9:55] saying that [9:56] the army of the country, [9:57] the IRGC, [9:58] are already [9:59] with their fingers [10:01] on trigger [10:01] for another [10:03] round of confrontation [10:04] in case negotiations fail. [10:07] Okay, thanks so much, [10:08] Tohid, [10:09] for that. [10:10] We will no doubt [10:10] come back to you [10:11] with more developments [10:12] in Tehran. [10:14] Okay, thanks so much for [10:18] time. [10:19] I wish I'd love [10:20] to keep in mind [10:20] the office [10:21] coming back to you [10:21] with me. [10:32] Hey, [10:33] let's go too much to look [10:34] here, [10:35] thank you.