Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed the lifting of the naval blockade against Iran by the United States.

The United States began to lift the naval blockade against Iran, and now the relevant process has entered an active phase even before the parties officially signed the memorandum. This was announced on June 16 by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic Majid Takht-Ravanchi.

"The lifting of the naval blockade [by the American side] turned into a practical matter before the signing of the memorandum of understanding," Shabake Khabar (IRINN) TV channel quoted him as saying.

Takht-Ravanchi stressed that unblocking waterways was an important requirement of Tehran and now obstacles to navigation have been eliminated. Progress, he said, had already been discussed with colleagues at today's meeting.

Headwinds: The United States and Iran are preparing to unblock Hormuz

What is the greatest threat in the strait and how long does it take to open it?

On the evening of June 15, US President Donald Trump announced the partial unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz. He specified that this territory will become fully accessible by Friday, June 19, the day when the American and Iranian sides will officially sign the memorandum in Switzerland.

US Vice President Jay Dee Vance added at the same time that ships would be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for free during the 60 days of negotiations between the United States and Iran after signing the memorandum, which, in his opinion, is of a general nature.