US–Iran MoU sparks big question: When does Hormuz fully reopen — and is the US naval blockade on Iran really ending?

President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran have reached an agreement that includes the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, marking a major potential shift in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints.

“Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote on social media, without releasing detailed terms of the agreement.

Donald Trump, born on June 14, 1946, turned 80 on the day the Iran-US agreement was signed.

In a follow-up message, he added: “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” — signalling an immediate reopening of commercial navigation through a waterway critical to global energy supplies.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass, had become a central pressure point in the wider conflict involving Iran, Israel, and Iranian-aligned groups across the region.

Any disruption to traffic in the strait has previously triggered sharp spikes in global energy markets.

Iranian state media reported the development after Pakistan's Prime Shehbaz Sharif announced that the US and Iran have agreed to an “immediate and permanent” halt to military operations across all fronts, including Lebanon, in a major claimed breakthrough aimed at de-escalating regional conflict.

The announcement followed a volatile day in which Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, further raising fears that the broader conflict could derail diplomatic efforts.

According to Pakistan’s statement, both sides have agreed to an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” with mediators expected to facilitate follow-up technical talks aimed at implementing the agreement.

The reported deal would, in effect, unwind recent naval and military restrictions that had disrupted shipping and heightened insurance costs for vessels passing through the Gulf.

The term “dual blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz is used in recent reporting to describe a two-sided maritime shutdown mechanism that emerged during the 2026 Iran–US conflict, where both the United States and Iran imposed overlapping restrictions on shipping through the world’s most important oil chokepoint.

Analysts say the move, if fully implemented, could restore maritime flows to pre-war levels — but caution that enforcement and verification will be critical given the scale of recent hostilities and mistrust between the parties.

Iran is also expected to retain significant leverage in any follow-on negotiations, particularly through its influence over regional security dynamics and its proximity to the Strait, even as the blockade is lifted.

Together, these created a “dual-layer chokehold” on traffic:

This effectively turned Hormuz into a contested maritime zone where neither side had full control of normal commercial flow, dramatically reducing global tanker traffic and raising insurance costs.

The “dual blockade” is not a formal legal term, but a journalistic shorthand for escalating actions that unfolded in phases:

From mid-April onward, both systems operate in parallel — producing what analysts describe as a mutual maritime blockade regime rather than a single-sided closure.