after Thran says it had reopened the Strait of Hormos to commercial ships which coordinate with Iran. This comes after a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon took effect. Iran had asked for that as part of its truth with the US. The Revolutionary Guard says civilian ships transiting the strait will need the Navy's authorization to pass and will have to take a route designated by Iran. Military vessels will be strictly prohibited. Earlier, the foreign minister declared the strait completely open. That was welcomed by President Trump. He says the US naval blockade on Iranian

ports will remain in force as talks to end the war continue and claims a final deal is mostly complete. However, an Iranian source has told Alazer that negotiations are still at a very early stage and the next step will be agreeing on a framework for negotiations, not a final agreement. Let's bring in Mike Hannah who's in Washington for us at the White House. Uh we just heard from President Trump a short while ago, very briefly, but he's made a number of announcements today on social media these last few hours, not just on the street of Homus, but also on Iran's nuclear

program. What does this all signal, Mike, as far as the negotiations? Well, it appears to show a degree of optimism on President Trump's part. It also agrees appears and insists some the Iranian sources to uh be uh somewhat delusionable on certain points. But we heard President Trump there just repeating uh the fact that the US will continue its blockade of the straight of Amuz until he says a deal is signed and completed. So President Trump insisting that blockade will continue uh despite Iran saying that it will conditionally open the strait. something that

President Trump also uh celebrated earlier on in the day. Now, he's also talking about some kind of agreement of removing nuclear reactive material out of Iran. Um, this is something that he has spoken about before, but he appears to think that part of the deal would be for Iran to hand over some of its radioactive uh nuclear stock, which it uses, Iran says, for peaceful nuclear development. So, President Trump making a series of statements on social media, all of which are tied around an apparent belief that a deal is very near. He says all the agreements are in place. It's

just uh basically dotting the eyes and crossing the tees. He does imply. Um so that is what he's been saying throughout the day uh that the deal is close. It could be imminent. It could be over this weekend. So a lot of messaging from President Trump uh perhaps indicating where he wants it to go rather than where it actually is going. Mike, we have a clip of what President Trump said just a short while ago when he landed in Las Vegas about Iran and that agreement. Let's listen to that and I'll come back to you afterwards. We're having a big day. We'll see how it all turns out,

but it should be good. We've had some very good discussions and hopefully that subject that you like to talk about will be very good and we've done a good job. But we'll see talks are going on. It'll go on over the weekend and uh a lot of good things are happening. Mr. President and that includes Lebanon too. Lebanon too has reporting today that there's still Iran says there's significant differences. Well, there could be. Let's see what happens. If there are, we'll have to straighten it out. But I don't think there's too many significant differences on the

blockade. Mr. President, what will it take to end the blockade? Uh when the agreement is signed, the blockade ends. Soon as the agreement gets signed, that's when the blockade ends. Did Anthroporic have a meeting at the White House? Anthropic? I have no idea. I'm Cuba, Mr. President. Cuban. So, Mike, President Trump said they're saying that talks will go over o over the weekend will go on over the weekend. Do we have any indication who will be part of those talks? No, no indication whatsoever. In fact, these talks that President Trump

continues to talk about do not appear to have been formalized in any way. But one interesting point in the course of the day in one of his social media messages uh President Trump said that he has not settled on who will lead the delegation should these talks be resuscitated or renewed. Now the last set of talks in Pakistan were headed by Vice President JD Vance. Now President Trump now indicating that he may change the point person for any negotiation that may happen. This is a very interesting tactic by President Trump maybe trying to keep other negotiators or

those who will be negotiated with on edge. Uh but President Trump once again you hear him there saying everything is good. He said as well that there are no significant differences with Iran. Now that is an important point given the reporting that we have had from Thran about there being very significant differences in terms of what is expected or what the uh President Trump is expecting from Iran. So still a situation of mixed messaging uh President Trump welcoming uh that the straight of Hammuz is open but insisting that the blockade the US blockade of the strait will

continue until a deal is signed. something that President Trump says negotiations could happen this weekend as soon as this weekend without any real evidence that any such preparations are being made. I can at the White House in Washington. Thank you very much for bringing us the latest there. Let's now get the view from Thran and speak to Abasani, a senior research fellow at the Thranbased Center for Middle East Strategic Studies. Thank you so much, Abaslani, for joining us. President Trump said just a few minutes ago that he doesn't think there are too many

significant differences between Iran and the US right now. Is that how it's being seen in Thran? Uh fully we are witnessing not just a gap in the discussions and negotiations but also the narrative which are which we are hearing. So there are competing let's say accounts on what is taking place uh at the negotiations. Uh the US president's uh optimistic uh outlook of the process contrasts with he with the view here in Iran and the he considers the war has been completed. uh it's a done deal and all things have been discussed and agreed and he's talking

of an imminent you know potential round but the Iranian side has a different let's say uh interpretation of what is taking place saying that they have been only able to address the sessation of the hostilities and issues like the nuclear issue as well as the others remain to be addressed and they are not confirming also any second around for the negotiations and it seems that interestingly we are seeing that uh they are in two different worlds and uh but you say that Abasani but Donald Trump has been given quite a few details uh especially when it comes to the nuclear issue. He says Iran has agreed to suspend

its nuclear program indefinitely. He says Iran has agreed to uh the US recovering 60% of its enriched uranium. I mean he's providing quite a lot of details. Is this just narrative or has there actually been some agreements perhaps going on behind the scene on the nuclear issue? Uh folly the nuclear issue remains to be among the sticking points and an elephant in the room even among the American officials or the uh account that we are hearing from the American media is not consistent. They are talking of suspension for a limited time like

the 20 years or some are saying forever like the US president. But Iran is saying that you know this has not been you know resolved. Iran says that uh the right to enrichment cannot be uh you know uh negotiated and they are not going to export the highrich uranium stockbased indicates that what is the red line Abasani on the nuclear issue is it uh enrichment or is it stopping the uh the nuclear program indefinitely? What is it? Is it time frame the issue? Uh you know Iran insists that it will not accept zero enrichment. Whether it's going to be suspension or not, that's not yet clear. But at least Iran is insisting that it has the

right to enrich uranium under the international law. And also it says that it will not export the highlyenriched uranium stockpile and they can be down blended or let's say uh downgraded to a lever lower level and uh also that is important that uh other issues have not yet been resolved like the straight of hormones which Iran believes that a new protocol needs to be adopted in that area. Well, let me ask you about the Strait of Omos because we've heard the IRGC say that uh civilian ships transiting through the straight will need the Navy's authorization. Earlier,

the foreign minister Abbasari said uh shipping was allowed but only along routes designated by Thran. So, what's changed here? I mean, how should we understand this current situation? How is it different from what we've seen in the past seven weeks? Uh at least what we know up to now is that you know the passage of the vessels through the waterway has been allowed to a certain number of uh tankers you know through the designated route by Iran only uh commercial vessels and uh only through coordination with the Iranian side. But uh this is based on the uh April 8 uh you know ceasefire agreement which this can somehow you

know subject to further changes more vessels transiting through the waterway. But uh this somehow uh needs to be based from Iranian perspective on the new protocol meaning that it should be coordinated with Iran controlled with Iran. But uh also uh there have been some discussions when they are saying new protocols you know charging you know ts also comes into my into our mind. Interesting. So this new protocol just to clarify again just to clarify Abasani this new protocol that you described will put in place a toll system uh it is also among the let's say regulations that will be included in the protocol that is the

uh designated routes by Iran coordination with Iran and maybe charging tolls. We have not been provided the exact details of what uh that entails but uh the officials also have been hearing to the tolls now and then and uh we are hearing a maybe again different narrative from the American side on this but at least they are working on that and to what extent the progress has been made that remains a question but at least that is among the sticking points at the negotiating table fully Abaslani, thank you so much for bringing us the view there from Thran. Abaslani

is a senior research fellow at the Thranbased Center for Middle East Strategic Studies. Thank you for your time. Well, let's show you what the Strait of Hormos looks like right now after those announcements earlier by Iran. This is a live map of maritime traffic data. The red dots and arrows you can see are oil tankers. Those in green are other commercial vessels. Around a fifth of global oil supplies are normally transported through the waterway, though it's been largest largely closed since the start of the war 7 weeks ago. Iran says ships must use the country's new routes to

pass the street. Last week, the Revolutionary Guard said this was a route vessels needed to take in coordination with its navy. This is a more northerly route closer to Iran's coast. Those shipping routes pass either side of Larac Island. That heavily guarded island is reportedly being used by the IRGC to monitor ship traffic. Let's speak to Scott Yulinger about this. He's a retired CIA station chief and a former US Navy officer and is joining us from uh Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Thank you so much for being with us again on Alazier with this announcement by the RC

Navy that you know ships have to coordinate with it to go through. Has anything changed effectively at the Straight of Hormos? If you were a commander of a vessel today, would you feel that you were crossing it uh in a safe and free way? Right. Well, actually, right, that the this announcement by the RGC, I think, is um absolute propaganda and is not to be trusted. The um Iranian Navy or the IRGC Navy is in no position to dictate terms. Now they have stated that they have changed the traffic separation scheme and the excuse um is that it's to avoid potential

mine areas. I'm not sure um if the United States has weighed in on this, but this doesn't uh smell right to me as somebody who's personally made that transit several times. Um remember a lot of the Iranian announcements are made for propaganda purposes, lies to their own people. They don't reflect the views, official views of the Iranian government. It's just that's the that is the vision of Iran they want their people to see. So everything has to be taken with a grain of salt, right? A grain of salt. But if you're a captain of your commander of a ship that want

to pass through the straight today, would you feel confident even if you say this is just, you know, propaganda by the Iranians? Right. That's a good question. And the answer is exactly. it is going to affect you. the captain of a tanker is gonna await company orders and basically these kinds of announcements are going to make a private commercial company operating for profit a little nervous and so that's going to make them less reluctant to go through the straits and that's why I was saying earlier I think that we'll start seeing normal traffic resume after several more

days because clearly there is some negotiating or statement that the US needs to make to clarify um some points regarding the Straits of Hormuz. Yeah. Because it is a confusing situation for a ship owner um and a ship's captain. Right. I was going to ask you about that. What do you think they would like to hear right now whether from the US or Iranians? How long do you anticipate for traffic to resume there? How long can countries in this region like Qata for example start to move their products their oil and gas again freely through the

straight of Homos? Well uh like I said it's highly unlikely that the um Iranians are going to attack but that but still the companies are cautious. So I think that probably in short order sentcom the US government will announce will uh clarify this situation uh whether is traffic indeed to follow uh a northern route as you stated or is that simply propaganda. So the United States is probably going to come out and try to clarify this because only when we have a clear situation or there going to be enough tankers confident enough to make the passage. Yeah. And in

the meantime there's a huge backlog of vessels waiting to make it through once you know it starts moving again who goes through first? How do they decide that? Um that's that's a very good question. uh there really isn't a very strong uh vessel traffic service going through the straits. Um there may be some attempt to organize it by how long each vessel has been waiting. How long has a vessel been in Anchorage uh and perhaps the ones that have been in Anchorage longest would be the ones who would be allowed to transport first. But I have a feeling it'll

tend to be a little bit disorganized more on a first come first serve basis. Yeah. And the thing is that we're also hearing from the US that they're continuing their blockade of the strait. Uh and Iranians have previously said that if the US kept this naval blockade in place that they could escalate possibly closing u the Babel Mand Mandep street another crucial waterway in this region. Um why is the US doing this keeping this pressure on the street of Homos? It could derail negotiations. Well, first of all, couldn't it? Right. To clarify,

the United States is absolutely not blockading the streets of Hormuz. There is absolute free passage in the streets. What the United States is doing is imposing a blockade on Iranian ports. Everyone, everyone who wants to come in and stop in uh Qatar or in Saudi Arabia are welcome and have been. Uh the United States sent two destroyers in to make sure that there was freedom of navigation because that's why the US Navy is there. But it is blockading those ports and it uh the Iranian ports and it's because Iran has constantly used negotiation as a delaying tactic

so they can get their act together. The United States is on to this, understands this, and is not going to break off the blockade until such time as a deal is actually concluded. Okay. Thank you so much for uh speaking to us and sharing your expertise with us. Scott Yulinger, retired CIA