Washington DC: President Donald Trump asserted on Friday that the United States could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and claim its oil riches “with a little more time”, intensifying calls for his administration to resolve the escalating war with Iran.
“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL,& MAKE A FORTUNE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The conflict erupted five weeks ago following a joint US-Israeli aerial assault on Iranian targets, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and thereby sparking widespread regional turmoil and financial market shocks.
Iran retaliated by blocking the Strait of Hormuz — a vital chokepoint channelling about one-fifth of global oil consumption — disrupting supplies and driving energy prices to dizzying heights. Governments worldwide now desperately want to restore the key waterway passage amid soaring costs.
Trump’s statement follows a Wednesday night address where he reiterated threats to strike Iran’s civilian power plants but offered no firm timeline for de-escalation. This drew sharp Iranian vows of counterstrikes and further tremor in stock markets.
The ongoing hostilities, set to complete five weeks, have spread chaos across the Middle East.
