Trump Says Hormuz Would Open By Friday. When Will Commerce Shipping Return To Normal?

Last Updated:June 15, 2026, 23:10 IST

After Trump announced a breakthrough agreement with Iran, questions remained on how quickly commercial shipping can resume normal operations amid ongoing security concerns.

After the United States and Iran announced a breakthrough agreement aimed at ending the 107-day war, US President Donald Trump said the strategically important Strait of Hormuz could be opened by Friday (June 19), after the formal signing ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland.

“The Strait is already partially open, as you know, they are doing a little hunting for a couple of mines that they’ve already found. But it’s essentially that ships are starting to go out. Now on Friday, it’ll be completely open," he said on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

However, the details of the agreement remain unclear, although they are expected to be released publicly in the next 24-48 hours. Most of the attention is on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy corridor carrying one-fifth of the world’s energy exports.

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When Will Commercial Shipping Resume?

Even after Trump announced an interim deal to end the war, there are lingering questions over how quickly commercial shipping can resume normal operations amid ongoing security concerns and the presence of suspected naval mines in the region.

Iran has extensively mined the strait, making travel possible only via two narrow passageways. Jakob Larsen, a safety and security officer at BIMCO, one of the world’s largest shipowner associations, told CNN that once deployed, naval mines can be difficult to detect and remove.

“The best the industry can hope for is a joint announcement from the US and Iran backed up by clarification on practical points such as which route to use, the leaving sequence of ships, timings, nature of coordination with navies, and contingency planning," he said.

Even if the Strait reopens, vessels passing through are expected to face elevated risks, potentially driving insurance premiums from around 0.25% of a ship’s hull value before the conflict to as high as 5%, shipping insurers told Al Jazeera.

Indian Tanker Transits Hormuz

While traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited, India’s Petronet sent the LNG tanker Disha through the strait on Monday, marking the first vessel to cross the waterway since the deal was announced.

The tanker, which loaded at Qatar’s Ras Laffan on March 1-2 and had been west of the strait since, was expected to arrive at India’s Dahej terminal on June 18, an Indian shipping ministry official told Reuters.

Several shipping companies have expressed cautious optimism on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, hoping that vessels could transit the corridor this week, although it was too early to comment on operational implications.

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Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int...Read More

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