Trump: Iran 'Hit Very Hard' If Hormuz Not Reopened
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- Donald Trump warned Iran it would be "hit very hard" unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened "very soon," in a Fox News interview from Rancho Palos Verdes, California on August 4.
- Axios reported the US, Iran, and Oman were nearing an interim deal to reopen the strait, with Washington hoping to announce it on Wednesday.
- The proposed deal would be a 60-day safe-passage arrangement between Iran and Oman with no toll payments, extendable, per Axios citing unnamed regional officials and a US official.
- Under the arrangement, inbound Gulf traffic would use a northern shipping lane while outbound traffic would use a southern lane through Oman's territorial waters.
- Trump said "very good discussions" were ongoing and Iran wanted to make a deal, later telling reporters before boarding Air Force One for a Las Vegas flight that a deal could happen "tomorrow or the next day."
- The Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global oil and gas supplies, has been the flashpoint for repeated returns to fighting since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
Why it matters: Hormuz is the chokepoint for global oil and gas supplies, and the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered repeated returns to fighting centered on the strait. A 60-day toll-free arrangement would temporarily stabilize that corridor, but Trump's simultaneous posture of ultimatums and optimism signals the deal is close but not yet sealed.
