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Iran Declares Strait of Hormuz "Completely Open" to Commercial Ships; Ceasefire in Lebanon Holding but Under Strain; High-Level Pakistani Team in Tehran for Preliminary Talks; Interview with Lebanese Minister Ghassan Salame; Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz as European Leaders Hold Crisis Talks; U.N. Warns of Iran War Toll on Civilians; Oil Prices Drop, Stocks Surge on Strait of Hormuz Announcement. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired April 17, 2026 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: All right. And welcome to the second hour of this show from our Middle East programing headquarters here

in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.

And we do start with a potentially major development in what is a critical next few days in the push for peace in this region. Just within the past

hour or so, Iran's foreign minister declaring the Strait of Hormuz, and I quote him here, "completely open to commercial vessels in line," he says,

with Lebanon ceasefire, that 10-day truce to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

In Lebanon, a key Iranian demand in reaching a ceasefire with the United States. U.S. president Donald Trump quickly reacting on his social media

Web site, thanking Iran, mistakenly calling the Strait of Hormuz the Strait of Iran. A subsequent post says the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports

will remain in effect. For now, the ceasefire holding despite Lebanon's army accusing Israel of violations.

We're going to have a look at both of these critical issues. We've got Eleni Giokos from Dubai keeping an eye on the Strait of Hormuz. Jeremy

diamond is in Tel Aviv on the Lebanon ceasefire.

Eleni, let's start with you. This news dropped about sort of 45 or so minutes ago. If and when traffic through the strait picks up after this

announcement is an open question of course. What investors, though, are doing is reacting immediately to the news.

Let's have a look at the oil markets and let's just have a look and explain, if you will, what's happening here.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So we've got Brent crude, which is the international benchmark, that's down just under 11 percent. You've got

WTI, which is the U.S. benchmark, also down over 10 percent. I mean these are phenomenal moves. We're seeing a massive selloff. And if you look at

what's happening in the futures market, even for the month of May, there's an even bigger drop there.

So the physical market, Becky, is still very much restricted. And the International Energy Agency says that even if the war does end today and

the Strait of Hormuz does open today, there's a lot of time that is needed to unwind the damage that has already been done. So markets responding

really phenomenally. Even U.S. futures are looking much stronger today.

Keeping in mind, and I spoke to one expert a short time ago, he says, while this is good news from Iran that they plan to open it up completely, they

say that insurance companies are going to have to jump in to see how quickly they can get transit through. So there's a lot really at stake

right now. So we wait to see how it actually is implemented.

ANDERSON: Good. All right. Let me get to Paris because the French president and the British prime minister are speaking to reporters now after hosting

a meeting with other world leaders on the Strait of Hormuz. Let's listen in.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): And secure the merchant ships going through the Gulf. As of next week, there will be a

planning meeting in London, and at the same time, of course, there will be ongoing diplomatic actions and there will be full coordination. (INAUDIBLE)

in the region to protect our nationals, secure our partners in the zone and enable us to cope with any eventuality.

For example, France has a robust naval force in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, led by the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, plus a

number of other ships and craft and aircraft. So all of this will be used as some in the Eastern Mediterranean, some in the Red Sea, and some will go

to the effort I've just described.

So today's message is one of hope. It's also a message of preparation and unity. Europeans (INAUDIBLE) Dubai, the Gulf states, Asian states, African

states, Latin America, Pacific.

[10:05:19]

(INAUDIBLE) Now hand over to the prime minister.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: (INAUDIBLE) Simple message and proposition that the world needs the Strait of Hormuz fully open because

that is how we keep prices down for our people and stop the global economic damage. (INAUDIBLE) agreement, including the reopening of the strait.

We welcome the announcement that was made during our meeting, but we need to make sure that that is both lasting and a workable proposal. And if

anything, it reinforces the need for the work that we've been doing this afternoon because we're very clear that the mission that we're putting

together is a defensive mission, and that comes after a ceasefire.

So that's why we brought the international group together to indicate how we will play our part. And there are a number of elements, first, to

deliver the diplomatic push for peace based on the fundamental principle that the strait should be reopened immediately with no tolls and no

restrictions.

ANDERSON: All right. Well, we are experiencing some technical issues as we try to bring you that press conference, and we're going to get back to it.

I don't think it's our end. I think it's their end. But anyway, we'll work that out for you.

I do want to bring in Jeremy, who's been standing by in Tel Aviv.

Jeremy, the British foreign -- the British prime minister there just referencing the fact that the Iranians have opened, they say, the Strait of

Hormuz completely, on the back of this Lebanon ceasefire, referencing the Lebanon ceasefire specifically.

How is that ceasefire holding between Lebanon and Israel right now? And how critical is it at this point to the wider regional diplomatic efforts?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think obviously achieving this ceasefire in Lebanon was key to reopening the Strait of

Hormuz. I mean, you'll recall that when the ceasefire was announced by the Pakistani prime minister, he made clear that Lebanon was meant to be part

of this ceasefire, that Israel was supposed to ceasefire in Lebanon, just as Iran would stop firing at Israel, just as Hezbollah would stop firing as

Israel, just as the United States and Israel would stop firing at Iran.

But what we saw unfold in the immediacy of that, of course, was Israel's refusal to agree to a ceasefire. And the United States indicating that

Lebanon was not meant to be part of that ceasefire agreement. But what followed in the days since was the United States' realization that Iran was

quite serious about the necessity of including the Lebanon ceasefire in terms of this broader ceasefire agreement. You then saw pressure from

President Trump on the Israeli prime minister to initially scale back Israeli strikes in Lebanon and ultimately pressuring him to agree to a

ceasefire altogether.

And then last night, the dramatic announcement of this temporary 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, which so far does appear to be holding by both sides.

We haven't seen Hezbollah rocket fire today towards northern Israel. In fact, the Israeli authorities have now relaxed the defensive guidelines to

citizens about the necessity to remain near protected shelters, to limit the number of people gathering at one time in the northern parts of Israel.

And we also haven't seen any indication of Israeli strikes in Lebanon today. So the ceasefire seems to be getting back into place. Israeli

military still warning Lebanese civilians not to return to their homes in Southern Lebanon. And as we know, the Israeli prime minister indicated that

Israel will retain a security buffer zone up to 10 kilometers inside of Lebanese territory.

The question now, of course, as we are seeing the Strait of Hormuz be unblocked because of this ceasefire in Lebanon, is how much more does this

negotiation between the United States and Iran carry forward? President Trump seems quite optimistic about the chances of achieving some kind of a

breakthrough in those negotiations with Iran, and we will see whether it results in a kind of more comprehensive agreement between the United States

and Iran and ultimately allows the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to also proceed towards a broader agreement there as it relates to

Hezbollah and the potential establishing of normalized relations between those two countries -- Becky.

[10:10:02]

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

I want to get back to Islamabad then and to Nic Robertson.

What's the latest from your sources there on these wider talks, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Look, I think the city here is still preparing for the very real possibility from a security

transport perspective that the talks could be going ahead this weekend. Beginning to see, you know, more security people out on the streets, hotels

talking about getting bookings, bus, regular bus journeys coming into the capital. They -- they are being stopped at the moment.

So the changes are beginning to take shape just like they did last week. But in terms of actually how close the talks are with Asim Munir, the army

chief of staff, the field marshal in Pakistan, the most powerful man in the country in Tehran, now into his third day of talks here, along with

Pakistan's interior minister.

They do seem to be making progress in Tehran, but that that core issue, the one that's going to be the hardest for the Iranians to accept and get

around because they've always said that they have an inalienable right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. They say they don't want to have a

bomb, a nuclear bomb. It seemed indeed President Trump says that the Iranians have told him they don't want to have a nuclear weapon.

But how does -- how does that sort of language, and the Iranians do like to have strategic ambiguity in their language about their nuclear weapons, not

just from a sort of a diplomatic and military point of view, but from a religious point of view, too. This is sort of core to the Iranian position.

It has been historically antithetical for them to put it in clear black and white terms on the table, which is essentially what the United States is

asking for.

So that appears to be what the Pakistan mediators are facing in Tehran at the moment. Of course, we don't know. We're not at the table. We're not in

the room. And of course, Iran wants significant amounts of money. It wants war reparations for all the damage that has been done. It wants sanctions

lifted as well. So there are, you know, leverages in the margins, if you will, that might be available to President Trump to move the situation

forward.

But this is a big lift. I think we should be under sort of no uncertainty about that. This is a big diplomatic lift that's going on in Tehran right

now. But if it's successful, then that sense of talks happening here in just a couple of days or even just a straightforward signature being put on

a document by both sides that comes closer to reality, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. All right. Nic, thank you very much indeed.

So a deal would be better than no deal. Obviously. You have to ask yourself whether whatever comes to pass could have been negotiated before this war.

And the impact that this war has had on the global economy with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump says the U.S. blockade will remain in effect until a deal with Iran is 100 percent done. Iran says the strait is, though, open to

traffic. So how's that going to work? Well, let's bring in Simon Kelly, a retired British Royal Navy commodore. You and I have been speaking, sort of

almost daily since the outbreak of this war. And your analysis has been really useful for us. I wanted to get you back on now to just sort of pass

this latest message from Trump that the blockade will continue.

It does seem rather sort of counterproductive or counterintuitive, given what we've just heard from the Iranians, doesn't it? How are you assessing

these messages that we've seen in the last hour?

SIMON KELLY (RET.), U.K. ROYAL NAVY COMMODORE: Yes, good evening, Becky. I actually think it's worth going back and revisiting some of the

conversations we've had to sort of walk ourselves through this. So what we had before the peace talks is some movement through the straits controlled

by the Iranians via a route that took vessels over Larak Island under Iranian control.

When the peace talks started, the Iranians then established that route and they pushed the routing out to the merchant community, and they established

a hazard area, which sat right in the middle of what we would sort of traditionally see as the strait that we want to see open. What we then saw

is the Americans apply a blockade to this. And in fact, they extended that blockade not just to vessels going in and out of Iranian ports and offshore

installations, but globally to Iranian linked sort of sanction busters.

What we now see is the sort of terminology of the strait is completely open, but that's been reinforced with the rerelease of the route that they

pushed out, which puts the hazard area over the center of the Straits of Hormuz.

[10:15:03]

And so, if I'm completely honest, what I'm asking myself at the moment is what's changed? Because I -- nothing in a practical term has changed. This

feels like they're putting up the sign of outside the road where there's a lot of roadworks going on that says business open as usual to reinforce

people coming in.

I think what we might see here is they've done a really intrinsic link between the Straits of Hormuz and the negotiations in Lebanon without

actually having changed anything.

ANDERSON: That is really interesting. And I note the post from the foreign minister when referencing the Strait of Hormuz and the Lebanon ceasefire

and saying the strait is now completely open. He did say on the coordinated route as set out by the IMO of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the

coordinated route as already announced by ports and maritime organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Does that sort of substantiate what you've just said?

KELLY: Yes, absolutely. I think that that's the key part of this, that effectively they're saying that, you know, you can transit through the

straits. It eases a bit of pressure because what it means that any operator of any of those vessels will feel a little bit more comfortable taking that

route, but it doesn't effectively change anything because that route was already open for those who are willing to go through with those checks for

uranium.

ANDERSON: Simon, let me -- let me stop you for a minute. Apologies. It's live TV, and we've got the chancellor of Germany speaking in Paris. I'm

sure you'll forgive me as we just we go to him at this point and hear what he's got to say.

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We have seen that Tehran has not (INAUDIBLE). Secondly, we welcome the resumption of direct

peace on Lebanon. This is a historical opportunity for these two companies, these two neighboring countries, to come together. Lay down its weapons and

not attack Israel anymore. But Israel must also make an effort to ensure lasting peace.

I recently spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu was a telephone cone, and I would like to thank the USA for their apparently successful efforts in

ensuring a ceasefire. And thirdly, given the upcoming conference in London next year, we are willing to make a German contribution to ensuring freedom

of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. This could mean at the end of negotiations, perhaps a contribution by the German armed forces to an

international mission. As long as we have a strong legal basis for this. So, for example, a U.N. Security Council Resolution and we also need

approval of the German government and parliament and a viable military concept.

This sort of participation could mean mine clearance, for example. That is something we're able to do and therefore we will continue to take part in

the ongoing and future military planning talks. And if possible, we would like to ensure participation by the United States. We feel that would be

desirable. And we would also like to have a U.N. Security Council resolution to -- so I think we are seeing progress.

We want to make our contribution so that we can have very soon stable and lasting peace in the region. Thank you. Thank you all very much. I wish you

a pleasant afternoon. Goodbye.

ANDERSON: All right. So that is the -- what we see Meloni there. We see Keir Starmer. We see the French president and the German chancellor. Let's

call them the European quad, shall we? Just set up there at what is an important event today discussing what a maritime mission will look like for

some 40 leaders around the world once this war is over, once there is peace.

What does that look like? There is a precedent for that of course. The Europeans have the Aspides initiative. That's a maritime defense position

in the Red Sea. So it's been fascinating to sort of see what the Europeans are developing. alongside their partners for the future in these critical

waterways around the Strait of Hormuz.

[10:20:12]

Well, the leaders are saying the strait will certainly the Iranian leader saying that the strait is open.

Simon Kelly is still with me. That's one thing. What will it take I guess is the next question for ship operators and insurers to feel secure enough

to actually start moving. They're not going to hang around until the European led sort of maritime mission gets into place. Could that could be

some time, couldn't it

KELLY: Yes, I think it's very positive to see that the European nations are there. And you're right to draw on Aspides. You could see the same sort of

model being applied to the Straits of Hormuz. But you're quite correct. There's going to be a lot of water, pun intended, but it has to pass under

the bridge before that happens. And so we're going to need to see mine clearance operations in those waterways.

Confirmation that there are no mines in that hazard area. The rains have declared. And there's almost a situation where you're going to just need to

see the slightly more confident operators or those who are perhaps willing to take the risk in terms of insurance and with their crews and the

captains to just start that risky transit and others will undoubtedly follow.

So this is almost sort of about building a collective confidence that they can transit safely through this. And I think it will take a long time and a

lot of work to reassure them that the transit that they would have taken before this conflict will be open again. It's going to be a lot of work.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Simon, good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed. Simon Kelly in the house.

You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We have a lot more news ahead. It is a very, very busy news cycle. This not least today. Stay with us. More after

this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Celebrations in parts of Lebanon after the announcement of a 10- day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

You're looking at residents returning to their homes as they crossed a bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country. But just hours

into this fragile truce, the Lebanese army accused Israel of firing on several villages in the south.

President Trump has invited the leaders of both Lebanon and Israel to the White House for peace talks, saying historic discussions could take place

within two weeks. Well, I want to get reaction from the government in Beirut to this ceasefire and the challenges that lie ahead.

Ghassan Salame is Lebanon's culture minister these days. He joins us now. I used to speak to you as a as a former sort of lead at the U.N.

It's good to have you, sir, very specifically speaking through a Lebanese lens today. Let's start with the latest breaking news.

[10:25:00]

The Iranian foreign minister saying, quote, "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of

Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire."

Give our audience, Ghassan, if you will, a sense of the significance of this moment.

GHASSAN SALAME, LEBANESE CULTURE MINISTER: Well, it's an important moment because we have had quite horrible days in the past two weeks, especially

on April 8th, where in one day, in fact, in 10 minutes, more than 350 people had been killed. So we badly needed a ceasefire. We were calling for

it. We thanked all the countries that have played a role in making it happen.

We are not here to distribute credit left and right. We know exactly who did what and we thank them. Now, if on top of that, ceasefire in Lebanon

can help reestablish the principle of free and international straits, all the better.

ANDERSON: The Israeli prime minister has made the point last night in the wake of the news of this ceasefire that it is a temporary truce and that

there is a significant buffer zone that the Israelis believe. They will continue to police within Lebanon. They say that that is their security

right, as it were. Your response?

SALAME: Well, this is not much different from the 2024 arrangements where they thought they had this right. It is somehow included in the paper that

was published yesterday. But we believe that the ceasefire is a ceasefire and should be respected by all parties absolutely. Not only for offensive

measures, but for all kinds of reasons to use your weapons or your cannons. We want the ceasefire first to be established for good. And as you know,

there has been shelling over a few villages in South Lebanon today.

And second, we want it to be extended if the negotiations are to take place because we believe that the cannons should shut up in order for the

negotiators to be able to listen to each other.

ANDERSON: So are you confident it can hold at this point?

SALAME: We think it can hold. We think it is not a huge area to monitor. We think that the Americans took the initiative of putting together the

conditions of the ceasefire and that they -- we expect them to be vigilant for its implementation in the 10 approximate days.

ANDERSON: This pause in Lebanon, of course, could help pave the way for a U.S. deal with Iran. How much do you believe this ceasefire really is about

Lebanon? And how much of it is tied to securing that broader deal with Iran? And should they be linked at this point?

SALAME: It is both. It started indeed, as you said in your newsreel, with the Pakistanis, including Lebanon, ceasefire in Lebanon, at the very

beginning of the Islamabad talks process. Lebanon was there. And later it disappeared because apparently the Israeli government didn't want it to be

there as part of the ceasefire in the negotiation in the Gulf. Therefore, the Americans took the initiative of building a process, another process, a

parallel process in Washington that started with the meeting at an ambassadorial level between us and the Israelis in the presence of the

American side.

So it would be naive to consider that Islamabad had nothing to do with our ceasefire, but it would be absolutely mistaken to think that what the

process the Americans have launched is dependent on what happens in Islamabad.

ANDERSON: Ghassan, you're a representative of your government. So let's just discuss what you want and what the government wants to come out of

these direct Israeli-Lebanon talks at this point.

SALAME: Look, there are the obvious objectives, and there are other long- term objectives. The obvious objectives on the short term are clear for us. We want our prisoners to be freed as soon as possible from Israeli jails.

We want the withdrawal from the so-called security zone Israel has created in the past two or three weeks.

[10:30:04]

We certainly want our displaced persons around 900,000 to go back to their homes as soon as possible. So these are the obvious requests we will put on

the table once the negotiation starts.

Now, what is the final outcome of this process? The Lebanese have not said yet. What could be -- the spectrum is quite large, to be frank. It can be a

truce. It can be a cessation of hostilities. It can be a ceasefire. It can be a security agreement or it can be a full-fledged peace treaty. The

Lebanese have not made their mind so far on what is the optimal final product for them.

ANDERSON: What do you think it should be?

SALAME: Sorry?

ANDERSON: What do you believe it should be?

SALAME: I think the minimum is the end of belligerency. I think we are ready to discuss the end of belligerency. We could think of a two-step

solution. An end of belligerency for some time in order to test intentions on both sides, and then to look at something more ambitious. There is a

trust that is lost here. I think you need time to build trust in everybody's intentions.

ANDERSON: We must talk about Hezbollah. Do you believe Hezbollah can ever be fully disarmed? And what does the Lebanese government and the Lebanese

Armed Forces, or LAF as they're known, need to go about trying to get that done?

SALAME: Well, the Lebanese Armed Forces need a lot of support and equipment and better pay, and we know all that, and we hope that during the

negotiation, some attention will be given by the countries concerned with an agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Some concern being given to the

Lebanese Armed Forces' needs. And they are real and important.

You know, the country has gone through a serious banking and financial crisis and Lebanon as such, the Lebanese budget cannot really cater for all

those needs. So this is one thing. The other thing is that to think that disarmament can be done only by force is probably too short sighted. It

needs a lot of political activity in parallel to any military preparedness for that.

This is, I should say, my personal experience in various theaters across the world that disarmament needs the -- some kind of imposition of the

government's will, but it also needs to think of how to disarm, how to demobilize, and how to reinsert those who are -- those members of armed

groups that are outside the government control.

ANDERSON: Would you describe today your feeling as cautiously optimistic in a word?

SALAME: I am -- I would say I am relieved to see that the ceasefire has taken root. I am vigilant about the vulnerability of that ceasefire,

especially in and around the city of Bint Jbeil, where there are a number of fighters still in the city while the gates to the city have been

probably closed by the Israeli army. There is vulnerability also in the use of weaponry, like what happened this morning with the shelling of Khiam and

other villages. So I feel relieved after one month of heavy shelling and bombing and displacement of persons of families, I feel relieved that today

we have almost a normal day in across the country, but we need to remain vigilant in the next 10 days.

First, that the ceasefire is respected by everybody, but also that the ceasefire is extended if we want negotiations to start on a good foot.

ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you, sir. I very much appreciate your time. Thank you very much indeed.

Ghassan Salame there.

Coming up, how the U.N. is working to move fuel, fertilizer and aid through conflict zones.

[10:35:02]

Does today's breaking news on the Strait of Hormuz bring us any closer to getting these materials to where they need to go? More on that is after

this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ANDERSON: And welcome back to our breaking news here on CNN. These are your headlines this hour.

And Iran's foreign minister declaring the Strait of Hormuz completely open. The leaders of Britain and France say they welcome the news. They have been

holding a meeting by video on the key waterway. More on that in a moment.

And that as people in Lebanon are celebrating a 10-day ceasefire deal. The agreement comes after weeks of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed

Hezbollah inside Lebanon. Hezbollah says it will abide by the agreement as long as Israel stops its attacks.

Well, the leaders of Britain, Germany, Italy and France have emerged this hour from talks about efforts to ensure safe passage for shipping through

the Strait of Hormuz once the guns go silent, as it were. Donald Trump has just posted on Truth Social a message that will affect these four leaders,

quote, "Now that the strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I told them to stay away unless they

just want to load up their ships with oil. They were useless when needed. A paper tiger."

Let's go live to Paris and CNN's Melissa Bell.

Well, perhaps you might want to just give me a sense of how you believe these four major European leaders might react to that post.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they won't be that surprised, Becky. This has been a theme of the American

president's for the last couple of weeks, really trying to blame NATO leaders for their noninvolvement in a war that NATO was never consulted on

or involved in. And I think that is a continuation even now that there is the glimmer of hope of some kind of beginning of ceasefire talks that he

should take the trouble to Truth that, I think speaks to his frustration with NATO allies.

But that's been at the heart of this meeting here in Paris as well. It's been the deep frustration not just of NATO allies, not just of Europeans,

this has been a much wider meeting with some 49 parties involved. Some of them were global organizations, but about 30 heads of state or government.

The rest of the world essentially from the Indo-Pacific through the Middle East to Latin America, whose point was that they were not involved in this

war.

[10:40:00]

They were not the belligerents, but they were, of course, on the front line, and some of them the most vulnerable economies being hit by the

results and consequences of what had happened in and around Hormuz over the last -- course of last weeks. So their plan had been to get together

without the United States to try and figure out how they could find some kind of solution to this.

The plan is, though, some kind of multinational force that will involve ships from the United Kingdom, France, but also we now know Italy and

Germany in de-mining operations going forward only, though, crucially, Becky, after a ceasefire has been found.

Now the frustration -- I was speaking about what the American president's frustration, the frustration here from the French specifically over the

course of the last few weeks has been pretty audible, and I think it has spoken -- it has been at the heart of the meeting of those here today. A

sort of sense that they were really done with having the situation in the hands of people who didn't seem to have much control of it and their desire

to try and intervene whichever way they could.

So good news, they say, when it comes to the announcement of this lifting of the Iranian blockade. But prudence was the word used by the French

president. We have seen these peaks of enthusiasm, of hope in the past, over the last few weeks, only to be disappointed by the reality of the

complexity of the negotiations that follow -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, I know, you make a very, very good point. Well said. Well put. Thank you.

That's the story out of Paris today. We will be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, the Strait of Hormuz now completely open during the ceasefire with Lebanon, according to Iran's foreign minister. That is the

news of the hour. The impact of this so-called double blockade, the Iranians and indeed the U.S., will not be immediately alleviated and that

impact went well beyond oil and energy of course. According to the U.N., a third of the world's fertilizers goes through that vital waterway, which is

critical for global food security.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, the person tasked by the U.N. to move essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, said in a statement, and I quote here,

"Civilians are, as ever, the first and most to suffer. Children, older people, ordinary men and women, they pay the heaviest price in conflicts

not of their making," and they may be thousands of miles away from the Strait of Hormuz of course.

Mr. da Silva, joining us now from New York.

Reopening the strait, not like turning on a tap, but do just give me your sort of instant take on what we have heard in the past hour from the

Iranians on, quote, "completely opening" that strait during the Lebanese ceasefire.

JORGE MOREIRA DA SILVA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNOPS: Thank you, Becky. And it's literally, as you said, an instant take because we just heard this

news. I think it's important to welcome the announcement if it is materialized and I stress if it is materialized, it represents a positive

first step towards freedom of navigation, but it's not yet freedom of navigation.

[10:45:12]

I notice in the announcement that there are some conditions still being put there, regarding the need to get authorization from Iran and about specific

corridors. So this is a positive first step. Let's benefit from that to get a more lasting and permanent reestablishment of freedom of navigation. But

as you said, the U.N. is ready, was ready and is ready to frontload all efforts in an area that is somehow overlooked, which is fertilizer.

Everyone talks about oil and gas, but very little focus on the impact, the disruption of fertilizers that can trigger a massive humanitarian crisis,

food insecurity. So I really hope that this announcement will get the full opening of the corridor of the strait. But we shall not delay on all

actions needed to bring the relief for the people, particularly to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis due to the disruption of fertilizer.

ANDERSON: Jorge, you make a very good point. The Iranians are talking about the opening of the strait on a coordinated route as identified by Iran. It

does sound as if not much has changed, to be quite frank. But let's take this as a positive sort of moment and some progress as we look towards the

wider U.S.-Iran talks to end this war, possibly this weekend.

Meantime, what is the U.N. doing right now to try and secure the flow of goods like fertilizer out of this region where I am, and to the places

around the world that need the most?

DA SILVA: Well, the secretary general asked me as head of UNOPS in a task force that includes also UNCTAD, International Maritime Organization and

International Chamber of Commerce to develop a mechanism to build confidence and transparency on the commercial flows of fertilizers and

related raw materials such as ammonia, urea, and sulfur.

Why? Because, as you said, Becky, one-third of all fertilizers go through this region. Unfortunately, we realized that it's not only the countries

that are highly dependent on fertilizers import from the regions that are being affected, today you already have a massive disruption of fertilizers,

even produced elsewhere due to the shortage of urea, sulfur and ammonia, shortage of LPG and LNG.

This will have a massive impact on food productivity and therefore triggering hunger and starvation. So the U.N. designed it. We designed a

mechanism that goes through deconfliction, monitoring, verification, and we are ready. So we were just lacking the political will. I really hope that

the mechanism will not be needed.

ANDERSON: OK.

DA SILVA: And the full reestablishment of the corridor will not require this mechanism. So it's good news if we don't need the mechanism. But if

there is no freedom of navigation, at least we should have the fertilizers flowing.

ANDERSON: You're going to need one. So you helped develop a neutral mechanism to move goods through the Black Sea during Russia's invasion of

Ukraine. I remember this. It was at the height of the grain crisis. What lessons from there can be applied here? What have been your learnings very

specifically?

DA SILVA: Well, we are building this mechanism of fertilizers based on the experience from the U.N. on the Black Sea grain initiative, but also what

UNOPS manages in Yemen. So all vessels that go from Djibouti to Yemen through the U.N. mechanism. Also in Gaza, we manage, UNOPS managed the so-

called 27-20 mechanism to approve all aid that enters to Gaza.

So the lessons learned are the following. Transparency, accountability, monitoring, reporting helps to enable both commercial and humanitarian

flows. So this kind of mechanisms do not replace member states, governments' responsibilities, that can enable through higher level of

trust, operationalization of this kind of logistics.

ANDERSON: Right.

DA SILVA: So it's an enabling mechanism that builds trust. And I really hope that we can benefit from that experience in previous operations.

ANDERSON: Understood. So, Jorge, I recently toured the Dubai humanitarian warehouses, the biggest sort of global hub in the world. Aid agencies

scrambling to find alternative routes during this conflict. It has been at significant cost. And these agencies are under significant strain given the

funding limitations at this point.

[10:50:06]

How are you funding operations at this scale?

DA SILVA: Well, the entire U.N. system and I would say the entire multilateral system is strained today. In the most difficult time and in

the last 70 or 80 years, we are getting a significant reduction of ODA, Official Development Assistance, to humanitarian and development. And we

are also seeing violation of international humanitarian law. So it's not only the development finance that is getting reduced, it's even the way we

operate in difficult contexts that are becoming more and more difficult.

So it's very important that we bring all solidarity and all ambition in this important moment. And it's also very important that we deliver on the

results. At UNOPS, as you know, it's an agency that is demand driven. We just do projects on the ground and our financial model is very much

triggered by this kind of demand driven on the ground, getting things done, not being dependent on voluntary contributions or assessed contributions.

ANDERSON: Understood. Jorge, it's good to have you. And it's fascinating to hear what is going on behind the scenes. Like you say, you develop

something if it's not needed, that's great. If it is needed, it's really important that the works are being done.

Good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed.

After the break, travelers brace for disruption as airlines say they could be forced to cancel flights because of the war's impact on fuel stockpiles.

More on that after this.

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ANDERSON: All right. The announcement from Iran's foreign minister that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open to commercial traffic while the Lebanon

ceasefire is in place is driving oil prices down.

CNN business and economics reporter Anna Cooban is following that. She joins us now.

Araghchi says the strait is open. What does that actually mean in real terms for oil and oil prices, Anna?

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the big question, Becky. I mean, what we're seeing at the moment is really a

product of hope and sentiment. You know, oil has fallen by, you know, we're seeing here, 12 percent, over 12 percent. And that's really good news. But

we're still so much higher than we were before the war. Brent was around $73 a barrel.

And you're right. You know, we need to get more details around what this really means. I think a lot of investors and oil traders are asking

themselves how fragile is this. Are these statements from Iran? Is the ceasefire? We've already seen it break down between the U.S. and Iran once

before. And insurance companies, are they really going to be, you know, insuring ships going through the strait when they don't really know the

level of risk from the mines that may have been planted?

They need to have absolute clarity around that. And the analysts that I've been speaking to recently have been united in saying that it's going to

take at least several weeks to really ensure that those mines are out of the strait and to see a normalization of the traffic going through.

And in general, Becky, there are longer term impacts here that even if this is to all resolve itself, we have to truly go back to the pre-war Strait of

Hormuz where no tolls are being paid, no permission is being given by Iran. It's going to take a lot of time to repair the damage, repair the

infrastructure, to ramp up oil production back to where it was pre-war.

[10:55:06]

The IEA today, in fact, saying that it will take about two years to get back to pre-production levels. You can't just flip a switch with oil

production. It takes time to ramp up again. So all of that is in the mix. But certainly we are seeing some relief in markets today with oil prices

falling quite significantly, Becky.

ANDERSON: It is so interesting. WTI crude down below 80 as you and I speak. Remarkable stuff. There were some worries about jet fuel prices. And we've

heard that reported today. Can you briefly talk us through that?

COOBAN: Yes, completely. Jet fuel prices have, you know, roughly doubled globally as a result of this conflict. And we've had IATA today come out to

say that we might see flight cancellations in Europe by the end of May. Now, Europe is particularly reliant on jet fuel that comes out of the

Strait of Hormuz, but also the oil that goes out of the strait goes to India and China, which then refines that crude oil to be made into jet

fuel.

So there are some big worries here. We've heard talk about potential rationing, and we've already seen airlines in certain parts of the world

hike baggage fees. You know, they can't directly hike the price of the ticket because that will then depress demand. But they can hike fees in

other areas. And they've already responded in doing that, Becky.

ANDERSON: That's fascinating. That's fascinating. Always good to have you, Anna. Thank you so much.

And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next. From the team here, a very good evening.

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