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On Saturday, President Donald Trump revealed that numerous nations plan to deploy naval forces to monitor the Strait of Hormuz amidst the ongoing tensions with Iran. He remarked that despite Iran’s setbacks, its military still poses a significant threat to ships in the region.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump conveyed his thoughts:
He expressed hope that countries like China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and others impacted by what he termed this “artificial constraint” will dispatch vessels to the area. The goal is to eliminate the threat posed by what he described as a “completely decapitated” nation.
Trump further stated, “Meanwhile, the United States will intensify its efforts, targeting the shoreline and taking down Iranian boats and ships.” He emphasized that, one way or another, the Hormuz Strait would soon be “OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
In a recent declaration, Iran’s new “supreme leader,” Mojtaba Khamenei, allegedly ordered the strait to remain closed as long as hostilities persist.
In a statement purported to be from Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new “supreme leader” ordered on Thursday that the strait remain closed as long as the war continues.
Khamenei hasn’t been seen in public since the joint U.S.-Israeli operation began, and reports have also surfaced that he may be seriously injured, even disfigured and in a coma, and actually may not be in charge of anything.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent proposed on Thursday that an “international coalition” could escort oil tankers through the strait, something he said would have a “big effect.”
The president’s announcement comes in the wake of surging gasoline prices in the U.S. as well as the impact on prices of other petroleum-based goods such as fertilizer.
Some 20 percent of the world’s oil — around 20 million barrels per day — normally travels in tankers through the narrow corridor between Iran in the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates in the south.
Those transits have all but stopped as the result of a number of ships being attacked in the region since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.