US President Donald Trump insisted on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz would soon reopen — “with or without” Iranian cooperation — amid efforts to negotiate a truce. The assertion came soon after Tehran claimed it had won an agreement to control the waterway and charge ships for passing through the route. Iran also made waves after sharing maps revealing a danger zone within the critical waterway earlier this week. Multiple reports have suggested that Iran laid mines along the shipping routes soon after the war began in late February.
According to a New York Times report quoting US officials, Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway. Officials told the publication that Tehran also lacked the technical capability required to remove them. Sources indicated that this was a key reason behind Iran’s refusal to comply with the Trump administration and let more traffic pass through the Strait.
The report suggested that Iran had used small boats to mine the Strait of Hormuz in early March. Growing speculation about the mines and continued Iranian drone and missile attacks had served to bring the waterway to a standstill — driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war. A rough path was reportedly left for ships to use after paying its toll.
There has been no formal acknowledgement of the possible mines strewn through the Strait of Hormuz. But the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organisations recently published charts showing safe routes.
US officials cited by NYT said Iran had mined the strait ‘haphazardly’ to create restrictive routes for ships. It is reportedly not clear whether Tehran recorded where it had placed every mine. Others were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move away from marked locations.
Trump says Strait of Hormuz will open ‘soon’
“Well, I wish them luck. He’s got a big thing. I’ll find out what’s going on. They’re militarily defeated, and now we’re going to open up the gulf (Strait of Hormuz) with or without a deal. But that’ll be open, we’re going to be on the straight as they call it,” Trump said as his deputy headed to Pakistan.
‘We’re not going to allow it’: Trump on Hormuz toll
US President Donald Trump insisted on Saturday that Washington would not allow any attempt by Iran to impose tolls on vessels passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He reiterated that it was an international waterway and dismissed the possibility of any transit charges in the region. The remarks came a day after he strongly criticised Tehran over its reported proposal to levy transit fees on ships crossing the Strait.
.”No, we’re not going to allow that, it’s international water. If they’re doing that, we’re not going to let that happen,” he said.