Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Iran's foreign minister says the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open" to commercial ships as long as the ceasefire remains in place.
But the US president Donald Trump said the US blockade of the strait will continue until a deal is made.
The announcement comes as European leaders came together to promote a unified message that the strait must be opened without tolls and without restrictions.
Also in the programme: We'll look at the ceasefire brokered between Lebanon and Israel and how people on both sides have reacted; the UK prime minister comes under renewed pressure over his former US ambassador; and why the Strait of Gibraltar is a treasure-trove of shipwrecks.
(Photo shows a protest rally in Tehran, Iran on 17 April 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:10.2 | Hello, welcome to the programme. |
| 0:11.9 | This is News Hour from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Paul Henley. |
| 0:15.5 | We're coming to you live from London. |
| 0:18.1 | President Trump has already added it to the list of wars he claims to have ended, and there is no doubt pressure from London. President Trump has already added it to the list of wars he claims to have ended, |
| 0:22.9 | and there is no doubt pressure from Washington was instrumental in persuading the Israeli government |
| 0:27.7 | to sign up to a ceasefire in Lebanon. More than a thousand Lebanese people have been killed |
| 0:33.2 | in the latest wave of violence since the Iran war began. More than a million have been forced out of their homes. |
| 0:39.9 | He might have thought the population of Beirut had had enough of explosions recently. |
| 0:43.5 | There were, though, celebratory fireworks and gunfire |
| 0:46.5 | as the ceasefire came into effect across the capital. |
| 1:04.0 | Well, now tens of thousands of people in Lebanon are hoping to return to their homes following the agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut. |
| 1:09.8 | The Iranian-backed militant group, Hezbollah, says it will abide by the 10-day truce. |
| 1:13.9 | And that's now prompted Iran to say it will open the strait of Hormuz, |
| 1:15.9 | as long as the ceasefire holds. |
| 1:18.2 | A move confirmed by President Trump. |
| 1:20.9 | Iranian forces have been blocking the vital waterway since the US and Israel began their attacks on Iran in February. |
| 1:24.9 | There's been an immediate drop in the price of oil and a rise in stock |
| 1:28.9 | markets. Let's speak live to our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams. Paul, how big a deal is the |
| 1:34.9 | reopening of the strait? Well, it's a little early to tell, but on the face of it, it does |
| 1:41.5 | appear to be a big deal. I think it is worth emphasizing that there is a caveat here. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.