In public, President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure unless it reopens the strait — in the same breath as claiming “great progress” in talks to end the war. In private, he has told aides that he is willing to stop the US military campaign even if the waterway remains mostly closed, the Wall Street Journal reported. Iran has rejected a 15-point peace proposal from the US, and its own five conditions for halting the hostilities include international recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for exports of oil, natural gas and other commodities from the Persian Gulf — remains severely constrained more than a month after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Iran sits above the strategic waterway and has effectively closed it to all but approved vessels. Oil and gas prices have surged since the start of the war, as the collapse in transit through the Strait of Hormuz has tightened global supply.
