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State media slam Araghchi's Hormuz tweet, say it let Trump claim victory

Apr 17, 2026, 17:55 GMT+1

Iran's state media issued rare and sharply worded criticism of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the negotiating team after he declared the reopening of Hormuz Strait on X, saying the move created confusion and gave Trump an opening to claim victory.

Araghchi's post was widely criticized by hardliners and their outlets, including the state-run Mehr News which said Araghchi's tweet "provided the best opportunity for Trump to go beyond reality, declare himself the winner of the war and celebrate victory."

"It is clear that ceasefire-related negotiations are not being handled solely by the Foreign Ministry. Therefore, it is natural that under these circumstances the entire team should collectively explain the decisions that have been made," Mehr News said.

Tasnim News Agency described the post as a “bad and incomplete tweet that created misleading ambiguity about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz."

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File photo shows Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on an Army warship in the Persian Gulf in December 2024
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File photo shows Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on an Army warship in the Persian Gulf in December 2024


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State media slam Araghchi's Hormuz tweet, say it let Trump claim victory

Apr 17, 2026, 17:40 GMT+1

Iran's state media issued rare and sharply worded criticism of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the negotiating team after he declared the reopening of Hormuz Strait on X, saying the move created confusion and gave Trump an opening to claim victory.

"In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran," Araghchi announced in a post on X on Friday.

Minutes later, US President Donald Trump said "Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran [sic] is fully open and ready for full passage."

Araghchi's post was widely criticized by hardliners and their outlets, including the state-run Mehr News which said Araghchi's tweet "provided the best opportunity for Trump to go beyond reality, declare himself the winner of the war and celebrate victory."

"It is clear that ceasefire-related negotiations are not being handled solely by the Foreign Ministry. Therefore, it is natural that under these circumstances the entire team should collectively explain the decisions that have been made," Mehr News said.

Tasnim News Agency described the post as a “bad and incomplete tweet that created misleading ambiguity about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz."

The IRGC outlet said the announcement lacked “necessary and sufficient explanations” about the conditions, mechanisms and restrictions governing vessel transit, prompting widespread questions.

Fellow IRGC outlet Fars News Agency earlier quoted an informed source close to the Supreme National Security Council as saying that the Strait's reopening was subject to three conditions:

"Ships must be commercial. The passage of military vessels is prohibited, and neither the ships nor their cargo may be linked to hostile countries. Vessels must pass through routes designated by Iran, and transit must be coordinated with Iranian forces responsible for managing passage."

The source said Iran considers the continuation of a US naval blockade as a violation of the ceasefire and would close the Strait of Hormuz again if the blockade is not lifted.

Tasnim said Araghchi's post on X lacked "any verbal explanation or at least sufficient written clarification” which it said amounted to “complete poor judgment in communication."

The outlet urged either the Foreign Ministry to revise its approach or the Supreme National Security Council to step in and impose a more coherent messaging framework.

The criticism was echoed by Fars News Agency, which addressed authorities directly and questioned their silence.

“Officials, at least explain the reason for your ‘lack of explanation,’” Fars wrote, warning that the absence of clear communication had left the public in a “state of confusion.”

It added that "while citizens trust officials to uphold national red lines, they still expect transparency about why details are being withheld."

Fars also cautioned that without clear messaging, “the narrative of the enemy and hostile media” could fill the gap, adding that “this ‘lack of explanation’ itself needs explanation.”

Trump says US to 'go in with Iran' to recover uranium stock, bring it to US

Apr 17, 2026, 17:08 GMT+1

The ⁠United States will work ‌with Tehran to recover its enriched uranium and bring ​it back to ‌the United States, President Donald Trump told Reuters on Friday.

"We're going to get it together. ‌We're going to go in with Iran, at ⁠a nice leisurely pace, and go ‌down ​and start excavating with big ​machinery... We'll bring ⁠it back to the ‌United States," Trump said ​in a phone interview.

The US president said the nuclear "dust" would ​be retrieved "very soon."

Trump negotiating with Iran himself, got ‘loud’ on recent call, Graham says

Apr 17, 2026, 16:22 GMT+1

"President Trump is directly talking to the Iranians. He is negotiating himself," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News.

"He was on the phone with the Iranians a couple of days ago, and it got rather sporty to the point that President Trump loudly told Iran what would happen if they keep playing games. He actually lost his voice," Graham, an ally of Trump, said.

"I'd hate to be the Iranian on the receiving end of that. So President Trump is now directly involved in the negotiations."

Iran threatens to close Hormuz again if US blockade continues - IRGC outlet

Apr 17, 2026, 15:46 GMT+1

Iran considers the continuation of a US naval blockade as a violation of the ceasefire and would close the Strait of Hormuz again if the blockade is not lifted, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News reported citing an informed source close to the Supreme National Security Council.

The source said Iran had initially agreed, as part of a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire plan, to allow a limited number of vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz daily but suspended the arrangement after the ceasefire was not implemented in Lebanon and was not extended to Hezbollah and Israel.

According to the source, Iran has now reopened the Strait following the ceasefire in Lebanon, subject to three conditions:

"Ships must be commercial. The passage of military vessels is prohibited, and neither the ships nor their cargo may be linked to hostile countries. Vessels must pass through routes designated by Iran, and transit must be coordinated with Iranian forces responsible for managing passage."

Trump says no money will exchange hands in potential Iran deal

Apr 17, 2026, 15:19 GMT+1

"The US will get all nuclear ‘dust’ created by our great B-2 bombers," US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social, referring to Iran's 400 kg of highly enriched uranium stockpile.

"No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form," he added, hours after a report by Axios said the US and Iran are negotiating a three-page plan to end the war, including a proposal for Washington to release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for Tehran giving up its stockpile.

Trump also denied that a deal with Iran would be linked to Lebanon, but said "the US will, separately, work with Lebanon and deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer."

"They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough!!!"