Trump says US will have Strait of Hormuz ‘open fairly soon’

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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump told reporters on April 10 that the United States will have the Strait of Hormuz “open fairly soon” but did not elaborate and acknowledged that it will not be an easy step.

He also suggested that other countries were offering help but did not identify any nation.

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

“It won’t be easy ... I would say this - we will have that open fairly soon,” he 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 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Mr Trump has been upset at NATO allies’ failure to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters reported on April 9 that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, after meeting Mr Trump, told European governments that the US president wants concrete commitments to help secure the strait within days.

The US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and US bases in Gulf states. US-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. Mr Trump announced a fragile ceasefire with Tehran on April 7, after having previously threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilisation. Ship traffic through the strait has remained stalled. REUTERS