President Donald Trump indicated he favors keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed, arguing that reopening it would allow Iran to profit heavily from ships passing through the critical waterway.
“They want it open so they can make $500 Million a day,” Trump wrote, claiming Iran is pushing for access primarily to generate revenue.
“They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!). They merely want to save face,” he added.
Trump suggested that agreeing to reopen the strait would weaken U.S. leverage in negotiations, warning that “there can never be a Deal with Iran” under such conditions.
The remarks appear to go beyond the Pentagon’s earlier stance, which framed U.S. actions as targeting Iran-linked vessels rather than enforcing a full closure of the strategic shipping route.
Trump did not address the potential global economic impact of keeping the strait closed, a move that could significantly affect international oil markets and trade.
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One Response
Hormuz is an international waterway (unlike a river or a canal). Under well established international law, interfering with traffic is either piracy or an act of war. By restricting access (or charging protection money for access) Iran is effectively declaring war on all other countries who use the strait, or whose ships are sailing there. By restricting access, the US is effectively declaring war on Iran and Iranian shipping that use the strait (including China, which is Iran’s principle trading partner). Trump barks loudly, but appears to be afraid to use force to open the strait, convincing Iran (and others) that the US is afraid to use force to open the strait to non-Iranian shipping. This may encourage America’s enemies to believe this is a good time to exploit American weakness. And the Democrats out of hatred for Trump, can be counted to do anything in their power to help Iran and its buddies (China, Russia and North Korea). The last time a country decide to block an international waterway was in 1967, and Israel replied by conquering the Sinai, the Golan and the West Bank.