Trump Says Strait of Hormuz Will Reopen “Fairly Soon” Amid Ongoing Crisis

Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the United States expects to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “fairly soon,” though he admitted the process would be challenging and did not provide further details.

Countries Offering Help, But No Names Revealed

He also indicated that several countries have offered assistance, but did not name any specific nations.

“Other countries use the strait. So we do have other countries coming up, and they’ll help out,” Trump said.

“It won’t be easy … I would say this – we will have that open fairly soon,” Trump added.

The blockade of the strait by Tehran since the start of the Iran war has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history. The strait is a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Trump Pressures NATO Allies for Support

Trump has been ​upset at NATO allies’ failure to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on Thursday that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, after meeting Trump, told European governments that the U.S. president wants concrete commitments to help secure the strait within days.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and U.S. bases in Gulf states. U.S.-Israeli ​strikes on Iran ​and Israeli attacks ⁠on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.

The war has raised oil prices and shaken global markets. Trump announced a fragile ceasefire with Tehran on Tuesday, after having previously threatened ​to destroy Iran’s entire civilization. Ship traffic through the strait has remained stalled.

(With Inputs from Reuters)

Also read: Who Is Amanda Ungaro? Why She’s Linked to Melania Trump’s Epstein Statement