Trump says he will open the Strait of Hormuz and outlines condition for Iran deal
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will be opened soon, and this will happen regardless of Iran's cooperation. At the same time, the main issue in negotiations is nuclear weapons, according to CNN.
Speaking to the press, Trump said that Iran has suffered a military defeat and the US now intends to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The American leader stated that they had suffered a military defeat and that the Strait would be opened with or without them, but it would be opened. He said they were going to open the Strait and believed it would happen quite quickly, adding that if not, they could get the job done one way or another. He also said that everything was going well.
He added that the US will not allow Iran to charge fees for ships passing through the strait if Tehran is doing so.
Trump also stated that his main goal in a deal with Iran is to limit the country's nuclear potential.
"No nuclear weapons. Number one. You know I think it's already been regime change but we never had that as a as a criteria. No nuclear weapon. That's 99% of it," the president answered when asked what a successful deal looks like to him.
Furthermore, Trump said in response to one question that Washington does not need a backup plan regarding Iran, because the Iranian military has been virtually destroyed.
"Their military is gone. We’ve degraded just about everything. They have very few missiles. They have very little manufacturing capability. We’ve hit them hard. Our military is amazing," he concluded.
Ceasefire and opening of the Strait of Hormuz
The other day, US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy an entire civilization, but ultimately agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. He gave his consent in exchange for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz; however, Iran soon effectively closed it again due to Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
This weekend, talks will take place between the US and Iran, and as Trump announced, the parties are to finalize a permanent agreement within the next two weeks.
Incidentally, on April 10, Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke, during which they discussed further steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Politico reports that next week, representatives from 41 countries will gather in Britain to discuss how to unblock the strait. According to sources, Trump made it clear at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that he wants concrete plans from allies to ensure freedom of navigation through the strait.
