Iran deputy foreign minister says U.S. naval blockade “lifted”

A senior Iranian diplomat said Tuesday that the two-month U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels had been lifted ahead of the planned formal signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries set to take place Friday.

“The lifting of the blockade was something we had emphasised from the outset. It has now begun, and the blockade has been lifted prior to the formal signing,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, according to the Iranian government’s website.

President Trump said on his Truth Social platform Sunday that he was authorizing “the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” but the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational naval operation that includes the U.S. military, said Monday that the blockade would remain in place until Friday, “pending execution” of the ceasefire.