It's Friday the 17th of April 2. Welcome to the BDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker,

your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.

First up, after weeks of tension, Iran says they are reopening the straight of Hormuz to commercial shipping,

while President Trump says a long-term peace deal with the Mullahs is now very close,

but with pressure on Tehran still firmly in place, and key details, unresolved,

it's not clear yet whether this marks an actual turning point. Later in the show, a mysterious

letter from Cuba meant for President Trump is intercepted in Miami, revealing a discreet attempt by the

Castro family, remember them, to bypass Washington's

official channels. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We begin today with a significant

development in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, one that, at least on the surface, suggests that there

could be a resolution of sorts.

On Friday, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Arachi, announced that the Strait of Hormuz is now,

quote, completely open to commercial shipping, so long as the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon

holds, which, of course, is an iffy proposition.

In a statement posted to X, Arakschi said, quote,

the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open

for the duration of the two-week seats fire announced last Wednesday,

though he noted that ships would be required to follow routes pre-approved by Iran's maritime authorities.

President Trump quickly amplified that message, but went quite a bit further, claiming the change

may be permanent. Taking to truth social, Trump said, quote, Iran has agreed to never close

the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the world.

The president also added that, quote, Iran, with the help of the U.S., has removed or is removing

...