US President Donald Trump has claimed that he personally decided to keep the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz closed amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, linking the move to efforts to pressure Iran
during negotiations.
Speaking to reporters about the conflict, Trump said, “… I gave them a break. I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now. Do you know that if I left right now, we had a tremendous success. It would take them 20 years to rebuild, but I don’t want to do that. I want to have it everlasting…”
US Signals Control Over Key Global Oil Route
“What I am doing, I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to put that kind of timetable on it, but it will go pretty quickly. We will have the Strait opened up. Right now, we have it closed. We have total control of the Strait…,” the US President added.
#WATCH | On the West Asia conflict, US President Donald Trump says, “… I gave them a break. I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now. Do you know that if I left right now, we had a tremendous success. It would take them 20 years to rebuild, but I don’t want… pic.twitter.com/pUsqvBNgAX
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2026
Emphasising his role in the decision, the Republican leader stated, “They would have opened it up 3 days ago. They came to us, and they said, ‘We will agree to open the Strait.’ All my people were happy except me. I said, ‘One minute, if we open the Strait, that means they are going to make $500 million a day.’ I don’t want them to make $500 million a day until they settle this thing. So I am the one that kept it closed. We have total control of it.” Follow for live updates
Reopening Tied To ‘Positive’ Deal Outcome
The remarks underscore Washington’s hardline stance in the region, where the sea route remains a critical global transit route. Any disruption to shipping through the narrow passage—through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes—has immediate implications for global energy markets.
Trump framed the closure as a calculated move to maintain leverage, suggesting that reopening the Strait would depend on progress in negotiations and what he described as a “very positive” outcome.
“It will open when they make a deal or something else happens that is very positive,” he remarked.
