Iran Opens Strait of Hormuz, Oil Prices Drop, Stock Markets Surge

On April 17th, Iran just declared the straight-of-four moves completely open for all commercial

ships, and that news sent oil prices down 10 percent.

Loisden over a month, while stock markets jumped a big time.

A fifth of the world's oil flows through there, so this eases the global squeeze on prices.

President Trump welcomed Iran's move, but straight-up ridiculed the British and French

plan to send warships, calling NATO allies useless, paper tigers, who showed up too late.

The strait had been shut down for weeks amid tensions, tied to a ceasefire in Lebanon,

where Israel hit Iran's proxy group, Hezbollah.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced they

lead a multinational mission to protect shipping lanes, with planners meeting in London

next week, and over a dozen countries pitching in assets.

Folks in shipping are scratching their heads, though.

Experts say Iran's announcement leaves question marks.

Waterwater minds might still be there, and tanker operators doubt much has changed.

No word yet if Tehran will even accept the Allied task force, and safety worries keep

traffic on hold.

Trump claims Iran promised never to close the straight-again, but he's keeping the US

naval blockade in place until their deal is fully done, says it's, going smoothly and

wrapping up soon.

Sources in Tehran warn that could kill negotiations, which involve Iran handing over enriched

uranium for $20 billion in unfrozen funds, though Trump insists no cash will change hands.

For now, the US Iran ceasefire holds as talks push forward on a three-page plan to end

the war, but everyone's watching to see if ships really start.

Flowing freely, do that byter waterway anytime soon.