Strait of Hormuz is open, say Iran and Donald Trump, and more
The World in Brief from The Economist
The Economist
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2026
⏱️ 5 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | The Economist |
| 0:04.2 | Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:11.2 | As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day. |
| 0:20.0 | If you're already an Economist subscriber, visit |
| 0:22.9 | economist.com slash espresso or visit our Espresso app to start listening. Here's today's |
| 0:29.4 | free edition. |
| 0:34.7 | This is the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:42.5 | Our top stories, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz, quote, completely open to commercial shipping. |
| 0:51.4 | Donald Trump confirmed the move on social media, though he said America's |
| 0:56.2 | blockade of ships, linked to Iran, would remain in place. Iran has tied the straits reopening |
| 1:03.3 | to a fragile sea spire in Lebanon, and passage remains tightly controlled. Energy supplies are |
| 1:10.2 | expected to stay under pressure for months. |
| 1:13.9 | Oil traders welcomed the announcement. Brent crude fell below $90 a barrel for the first time in |
| 1:20.4 | over a month. European natural gas prices dropped by more than 5% while the dollar fell. Gains spread to broader markets, |
| 1:30.5 | the SMP 500 climbed 1.2%, having hit record highs earlier in the week, and the NASDAQ 100 |
| 1:38.1 | extended its winning streak to 13 days. Mr. Trump appears to be taking a direct role in the Lebanese ceasefire, |
| 1:47.3 | writing on social media that Israel is, quote, prohibited from bombing Lebanon. He said America |
| 1:54.5 | would work with Lebanon to deal with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia. Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. |
| 2:04.5 | Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc said it would respect the truce |
| 2:08.2 | but sharply criticise the government for agreeing to it. |
| 2:12.8 | OnlyFans is set to sell a minority stake to architect capital, |
| 2:20.1 | an American investor, in a deal which values the company at more than $3 billion. The platform, which is best known for its adult content, |
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