Oil tankers pass through Strait of Hormuz as Britain vows strong military contribution and Trump says peace deal 'very close': live updates

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER A convoy of oil tankers has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, vessel tracking data shows, after Iran declared the waterway 'completely open'.  Tehran threatened on Saturday to close the Strait once more unless the US lifted its blockade of Iranian ports, which Trump said would remain in place until the 'transaction with Iran is 100 per cent complete'.  It comes as Britain vowed to make a strong military contribution to keeping the strait open, despite President Donald Trump raging on Friday he had told NATO to 'stay away', again branding the alliance a 'paper tiger'. The UK ambassador to the US Sir Christian Turner said the UK will make a 'wide-ranging military contribution' as it was announced international efforts to keep the shipping lane secure would be led by Britain and France. Trump has claimed that a peace deal with Iran is 'very close' as a two week ceasefire rolls on. A convoy of oil tankers has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, vessel tracking data shows, after Iran declared the waterway 'completely open'. But Tehran warned it could shut the Strait of Hormuz again if the United States continues its blockade of Iranian ports, raising fresh fears over the vital global trade route. MarineTraffic data showed several vessels moving through the channel, including tankers carrying oil, liquefied petroleum gas and chemicals. The potential resumption of transit had lifted stock markets on Friday and prompted optimism in Washington, with President Donald Trump saying a broader US-Iran peace deal was 'very close'. Donald Trump ridiculed as 'useless' a planned British-led military taskforce to patrol the Strait of Hormuz. As Iran declared the waterway 'completely open', Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron on Friday said they would send warships to keep it safe. But while the US President welcomed Tehran's announcement, he mocked NATO countries offering to send military assets. He wrote: 'Now that the Hormuz 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!' It came as 49 leaders, including Sir Keir and Macron, held a summit in Paris on Friday to discuss how to re-open the strait. The Strait of Hormuz might have been declared 'completely open', but the situation remains fragile amid an ongoing blockade of Iranian vessels by US troops. Iran warned that if US warships intercept vessels coming from Iranian ports, the key global trade artery through which about a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes could be closed again. 'With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,' parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X, adding that passage through the waterway would require authorization from Iran. According to the latest data, the US has turned around 21 ships since Monday. President Donald Trump has said that the blockade will continue until a full peace deal is reached. Iran has attempted to impose conditions on ships that are now travelling through the strait, including taking only pre-approved routes. Good morning and welcome to the Daily Mail's live blog. We'll be bringing all the latest updates on the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz throughout the day. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.