Donald Trump hinted at a relief for global trade on Saturday, April 11, as several US media outlets reported that US Navy ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz on the same day, controlled by Iran. “We are now starting the process to open the Strait of Hormuz as a favor for countries around the world, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. He stated that it will be “soon open” in another message. “Incredibly, they don’t have the courage or will to do the job themselves,” he assured.
In his Truth Social post, Donald Trump also criticized the media for claiming that Iran is winning the war against the US, “when in reality everyone knows they are LOSING big time.”
“The only thing in their favor is the threat that a ship might ‘encounter’ one of their naval mines,” he acknowledged, while claiming that “all of their 28 mine-laying ships lie at the bottom of the sea” following US strikes.
Trump’s message comes at the beginning of peace talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan, where the issue of traffic in the strait is significant. Shortly after, the US military stated that two of its destroyers had crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday to “set the conditions” for demining the strategic waterway controlled by Iran, which is in talks with Tehran. The two ships operated as part of “a broader mission to ensure that the strait is completely cleared of marine mines previously laid by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.” Iranian state media criticized US “excessive demands” on the Strait of Hormuz during negotiations in Islamabad.
Iran locks down this strategic maritime route for oil and global trade, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes. The strait is nearly blocked. Despite the ceasefire, crossing it remains very dangerous, and only a handful of ships have been able to navigate through it.
