Washington, May 27 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out any arrangement that would allow Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz, insisting the strategic waterway would remain open to all nations even as his administration continued negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme.
“The Strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “Nobody’s going to control it. It’s international waters.”
Trump said Iran had sought control over the vital oil shipping lane during ongoing negotiations but warned the United States would not permit it. “They would like to control it. Nobody’s going to control it,” he said.
The President repeatedly stressed that Iran would not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I’m doing that for the world,” he said.
Trump claimed Tehran’s military and economic position had weakened sharply following recent US operations and sanctions. Referring to “Operation Epic Fury”, he said American forces had crippled Iran’s military infrastructure and forced its leadership back to the negotiating table.
“They’re negotiating on fumes,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s economy was “in freefall” with “250% inflation”.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the President’s position, saying diplomacy remained Washington’s preferred route but warning that military options remained available.
“The bottom line is Iran’s never going to have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said. “Diplomacy is always the first option.”
Rubio said there had been “some progress” in talks and that the coming days would determine whether negotiations could move forward. He also confirmed that the US had secured agreements with 20 countries to accept deportees from the United States as part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the administration’s Iran strategy as one aimed at “maximum lethality” while maintaining diplomatic channels. He said Iran’s navy, air force, and defence industrial capacity had been severely damaged.
“They may have missiles, but they can’t build more right now,” Hegseth said.
Trump also defended his administration’s handling of energy markets, saying the United States now produced more oil than “Russia and Saudi Arabia combined”. He argued that high oil prices driven by tensions around the Strait of Hormuz would eventually ease due to expanding US production and increased Venezuelan exports.
“We have tremendous amounts of energy,” Trump said. “Those prices are going to come down fast.”
The President said oil tankers were lined up near the Strait waiting for clearance to move through the shipping route. “At the right time, we’ll release them,” he said.
Trump also indicated that any final deal with Iran could be linked to broader Middle East diplomacy, including the expansion of the Abraham Accords. He said the US was “requesting strongly” that countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar join the agreement framework established during his first term.
–IANS
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