- US President Donald Trump has insisted the US can open the Strait of Hormuz with more time despite claiming the conflict will be over soon.
- He wrote in a Truth Social post Friday, "With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD???”
- The vital waterway was closed by Iran in the wake of the US-Israeli attacks on 28 February, with only Iranian ships and a few other vessels permitted to pass through, leading to skyrocketing oil prices.
- The US president has suggested in recent days that countries who need oil shipped through the waterway take military action themselves to ensure it is open, naming the United Kingdom specifically.
- But he said yesterday that the US will only consider a ceasefire with Iran "when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear". Both a French and a Japanese tanker have recently been able to pass through, although that is a tiny fraction of the usual traffic.
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