Uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz remains, as ceasefire nears its end

Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By NPR Staff U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press aboard Air Force One on April 17, 2026 just prior to landing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. blockade of Iranian ports will remain and attacks could resume if no agreement is reached before the current ceasefire with Iran expires next week. Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won't extend it, so you'll have a blockade and unfortunately we'll have to start dropping bombs again." Trump was on his way back to Washington, after appearing at Turning Point USA's "Build the Red Wall" rally in Phoenix, AZ. Despite hinting at the possibility of resuming attacks on Iran, Trump also told reporters "I think it's going to happen," referring to a deal. woman is seen carrying an Iranian flag during a pro-government National Army Day demonstration on April 17, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on April 17, 2026 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America hide caption Oil prices tumbled and stock markets rallied on the announcement the strait was open for commercial ships. He later issued his strongest public comments demanding that Israel uphold the agreement, after urging the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah to do so. "Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday. On Thursday night, he wrote: "I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be [a] GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire could open the door to a broader agreement with Lebanon, but made clear Israel would not withdraw from what he described as an expanded 10-kilometer-deep security buffer zone in southern Lebanon. He also said any talks would hinge on Hezbollah's disarmament. A man walks among debris in a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Jibchit, southern Lebanon, Friday, following the start of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Hassan Ammar/AP hide caption Lebanon's prime minister, Nawaf Salam, called the agreement a central Lebanese demand since the start of the war and said he hoped displaced residents would be able to return home soon. Trump on Thursday also said he was inviting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for peace talks. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he welcomed the ceasefire and urged all sides to respect it fully, adding he hoped it would lead to negotiations toward a long term solution. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is credited for mediating the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, also welcomed the truce, calling it a step toward "sustainable peace" and reaffirmed his country's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Hezbollah, meanwhile, urged people displaced by the fighting not to rush back to southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs until the situation becomes clearer. The Israeli military also warned Lebanese residents not to return to their villages yet for their safety. Hezbollah said in a separate statement any ceasefire must apply across Lebanese territory and warned that any continued Israeli presence would leave Lebanon with the right to resist depending on how events unfold. Hezbollah has both a political wing, with several lawmakers in Lebanon's national parliament, and militia that operates largely independently of the Lebanese government and receives funding and direction from Iran. Lebanon's government has pushed for a ceasefire before entering bigger diplomatic negotiations with Israel. Hezbollah opposes the talks. Israel had agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon in 2024, but U.N. peacekeepers recorded more than 10,000 violations of that agreement, mostly by Israeli forces. Thousands of people displaced by fighting in Lebanon in recent weeks began heading home Friday, hours after the ceasefire with Israel took effect, despite warnings from Hezbollah, Lebanese government officials and the Israeli military that it was still too dangerous to return home. The war has displaced around 1.2 million people in Lebanon, according to United Nations and Lebanese figures, and many are now going back to assess the damage of their homes. A supporter of Hezbollah holds a machine gun while celebrating the ceasefire with Israel as it takes effect after midnight in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Ibrahim Amro/AFP via Getty Images hide caption Hussein Farhat, a shopkeeper from Beirut's southern suburbs — a Hezbollah stronghold that was repeatedly targeted in Israeli strikes — told NPR he was thinking about going home to check on his shop, but wouldn't move back until the fighting came to a permanent end. "You feel a heartbreak just visiting your home and neighborhood and then you leave," he said. "It's heartbreaking." Israeli forces have destroyed more than 40,000 homes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials, taking over whole villages to create what Israel says is a "security buffer zone" to keep Hezbollah from firing rockets into Israel. The latest round of fighting began after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.