President Trump dropped a hint Tuesday that he might be willing to abandon efforts to force Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, amid another standoff with U.S. allies in Europe who have refused to join the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
After issuing increasingly aggressive threats to order attacks on Iran’s civilian power and water infrastructure if Iran does not reach an agreement to end the war and reopen the vital shipping route, Trump said Monday that other countries that rely much more directly on oil and gas from the Persian Gulf may have to “source their own oil.”
“To all those countries that can’t get fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the UK that refused to take part in the beheading of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: first, buy from the US, we have enough, and second, build up some courage, go into the Strait and just TAKE IT. You have to start learning to fight for yourself, the US will no longer be there to help you, just like you weren’t there.” For us, the hard part is done. Mr. Trump said in one Truth Social post.
The The Wall Street Journal reported On Monday, Trump told his advisers that he would be willing to end the war against Iran even without wresting control of the Strait of Hormuz from Tehran. The country blocks ships it believes are linked to the United States or Israel and charges high fees for some other vessels to pass through the strait.
According to the Journal, Mr. Trump and his aides recently concluded that a military operation to force Iran to reopen the crucial shipping route would likely extend the war beyond his stated timeline of up to six weeks.
Analysts have warned against it While the US does not rely significantly on energy imports from the Persian Gulf, a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz is likely to continue due to the global nature of gas and oil markets Prices for American consumers have risen.
