Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday suggested that the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has kept closed amid its ceasefire with the U.S., will reopen “sometime this summer at the latest.” CNBC’s Brian Sullivan spoke with Wright at a new liquefied natural gas facility in Cameron,

China has issued a major appeal for peace in the Middle East just days after U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help broker talks with Iran. Beijing is now calling for a “permanent and comprehensive ceasefire” and demanding the urgent reopening of critical global shipping lanes,

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial vessels. But President Donald Trump says the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports will stay in force until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.

The U.S. military says it has opened a passage through the Strait of Hormuz and reached out to dozens of shipping companies to encourage navigation through the waterway.

Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have been the focus of talks between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.The pair discussed the ongoing Iran crisis as Britain and France prepared to co-host a meeting of 40 defence ministers on Tuesday about plans to protect shipping in the critical waterway once hostilities cease in the conflict.

Qatar and Türkiye support Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at ending the Iran war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Qatari foreign minister said on Tuesday.