U.S. President Donald Trump [AFP Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump responded immediately, saying "Thank you," on April 17 (local time) after Iran announced it would fully open the Strait of Hormuz.

However, he stated that the U.S. Navy's maritime blockade against Iran would be maintained until the peace negotiations with Iran are completed.

Consequently, with the 'two-week ceasefire' set to expire on the 21st, the direction of the U.S.-Iran war, including the resumption of peace talks, is expected to reach a turning point around this weekend.

President Trump wrote on his social media (SNS) platform, Truth Social, "Iran just announced that the STRAIT OF IRAN is fully open and ready for complete transit. THANK YOU!"

The 'Strait of Iran' mentioned by President Trump refers to the Strait of Hormuz.

In a separate Truth Social post, President Trump wrote, "Iran, with the help of the United States, has removed or is removing all mines. Thank you."

The U.S. and Iran had agreed on a two-week 'ceasefire and opening of the Strait of Hormuz' on the 7th and were supposed to engage in peace negotiations. However, Iran continued to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, threatening military action as Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon, targeting the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah.

In response, President Trump initiated a 'counter-blockade' by starting a maritime blockade on the 13th of April (U.S. Eastern Time) for all ships traveling to or from Iranian ports or coastlines in the strait.

Iran's announcement on this day to fully open the Strait of Hormuz came amid the start of a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon the previous day.

However, President Trump stated in a subsequent Truth Social post that the U.S. military's maritime blockade against Iran would not be immediately lifted.

President Trump wrote, "The Strait of Hormuz is fully open and ready for business and complete transit, but the naval blockade on Iran will remain in full effect until our deal with Iran is 100% completed." This is interpreted as an intention to maintain pressure by blocking Iran's oil exports and procurement of goods, which are Iran's 'lifeline,' until an agreement is reached.

He added, "Most of the issues have already been negotiated, so this process (the negotiation process with Iran) will proceed very quickly," showing confidence in an early agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

In another Truth Social post, President Trump stated, "The United States will secure all nuclear 'Dust' made by our great B2 bombers. There will be no monetary transactions in any way, shape, or form."

This is interpreted to mean that the U.S. will repatriate approximately 450 kg of 60% enriched uranium, believed to be deeply buried in the debris of Iran's nuclear facilities bombed by U.S. B2 bombers in June last year, without financial compensation to Iran.

Previously, President Trump had announced on the previous day that Iran had agreed to hand it over to the United States.

President Trump also stated, "This deal has nothing to do with Lebanon, but the United States will separately cooperate with Lebanon to properly handle the Hezbollah issue," indicating that the issue of the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon would be addressed in conjunction with the Lebanese government.

He continued, "Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon. They (Israel) have been forbidden by the United States to do so. No more," he wrote.

In addition, President Trump said, "Now that the Strait of Hormuz situation is over, I have received a call asking if I need help from NATO. I told them to stay away if they don't want to ship oil on their ships."

He continued, mocking NATO by saying, "They were useless when needed, and they were paper tigers." In another post, he wrote, "Thank you to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar for their great courage and help."