US lifts Iran blockade as Hormuz shipping resumes under war-ending deal

Washington,UPDATED: Jun 19, 2026 01:12 IST

The United States on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, allowing oil tankers to move through the Strait of Hormuz as a tentative agreement to end the war took effect. The channel had been largely unusable for months, but shipping began to resume soon after the deal came into force.

At the same time, the next phase of the process appeared uncertain as US Vice President JD Vance said he may postpone a planned trip to Switzerland for a ceremonial signing of the agreement. Hours later, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtab Khamenei backed direct talks with the US, saying, "It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy's opinion."

Vance told reporters at the White House that the Switzerland visit was still planned, but not on the original schedule. "Our plan is to go to Switzerland. I don't know exactly when," he said. "I suspect this weekend, but I'm not sure." The uncertainty has raised fresh questions over an agreement that President Donald Trump said he signed to avoid "economic catastrophe" in the US.

Trump signed the pact with Iran on Wednesday while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. The agreement took immediate effect, extends a ceasefire and gives both sides 60 days to negotiate wider issues. Trump said the deal would help prevent further strain on the US economy after the war pushed up oil prices, unsettled financial markets and added to inflation. He has also said he did not want to be compared to Herbert Hoover.

Vance, who had initially been sceptical about the US going to war with Iran, has increasingly become the administration's main public voice on the conflict and has strongly defended the accord. Asked about criticism that it gives away too much, he repeatedly said the deal would force Iran to "change their behaviour". He also rejected suggestions that the rollout had been confused, saying, "I don't think our public messaging has been chaotic."

Shortly before Vance spoke, Pakistan said it was postponing a visit by its top officials to the Swiss resort near Lucerne, where Islamabad had been due to host the signing ceremony. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials had been expected to attend, but officials said a ceremonial signing had become less urgent after both sides had already signed.

Vance also issued a blunt warning to Israel, whose attacks on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon during the war, including just before the ceasefire extension was agreed, complicated efforts to secure peace with Iran. "Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time," Vance said. "And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower." He added that more than 12.5 million barrels moved through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, and said the easing of the blockade meant the US was "honouring our end of the early part of the agreement on the military side." US Central Command said American warships would remain in the area to ensure that "all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect."

Shipping activity then began to pick up. At least two oil tankers left Iran and crossed the US military blockade without being stopped, carrying a combined 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude, according to a merchant shipping tracking website. Iranian state media said shipping had "normalized" at the country's southern ports, though it added that the strait remained under Iranian military supervision and that transit still required coordination.

Lloyd's List Intelligence said major shipowners had started moving vessels through the strait after the deal was signed, though it did not say how many had passed by Thursday. In a briefing, editor-in-chief Richard Meade said that for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies were transiting the strait after being effectively stranded there since February. According to Lloyd's List, tankers linked to Grimaldi Group, Cosco, Knutsen and NYK have passed through, along with two Iranian-flagged sanctioned crude tankers owned by the Iranian Tanker Company.

Phillip Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, said the main central route through the strait remained closed and that about 80 mines still needed to be cleared. But ships have been using the smaller northern route through Iranian waters and the southern route through Omani waters.

The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day period for talks on a final arrangement over Iran's nuclear programme, though Trump has left open the option of resuming attacks. The text says Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, believed to be buried under rubble, must at least be diluted under international supervision. It also says Iran will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, a commitment it has made before, while broader terms on its nuclear programme are still to be negotiated.

The deal also waives US-backed sanctions on Iran, immediately allowing it to sell oil freely. But European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the 27-member bloc would keep its own sanctions on Iran in place for now. She said member states could discuss lifting them later, but "we are not there yet." Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since being wounded in a strike at the start of the war, gave his first reaction to the agreement by backing direct talks even as the deal opened the waterway, restarted shipping and set the stage for a difficult new round of negotiations.

With PTI Inputs

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