Reopening the Strait of Hormuz should be part of a bid to end the war with Iran, President Donald Trump said.
“We have to have an agreement that is acceptable to me, and part of that agreement will be to guarantee free traffic of oil and everything else,” he said at a press conference at the White House this Monday (6).
The president also acknowledged that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “different” from his other goals as negotiators work to end the .
Trump had previously said that a proposal presented by other countries for a 45-day ceasefire “is not enough”.
The ceasefire plan is seen as a last-ditch attempt to prevent massive attacks on and other infrastructure, which Trump has threatened to carry out if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
Asked by Kristen Holmes, from CNNwhether he would accept a deal that did not include opening the strait or whether that is now a priority, Trump responded: “I would say it is a very big priority.”
The president also said he was not sure whether Tehran still had the ability to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“They no longer have anyone to launch mines,” he said. “I’m not even sure there are still mines there, by the way. … I think there might not be any, because they’re so good at inventing things.”
What is happening in the Middle East?
The United States and Israel are at war with Iran. The conflict began on February 28, when a coordinated attack between the two countries in Tehran.
Several high-ranking officials of the Iranian regime were also killed. Furthermore, the US claims to have , as well as air defense systems, planes and other military targets.
In retaliation, the ayatollahs’ regime launched attacks on the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and Oman. Iranian officials say they are targeting only U.S. and Israeli interests in those nations.
More than 1,750 civilians have died in Iran since the start of the war, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The White House, in turn, recorded at least 13 deaths of American soldiers in direct relation to the Iranian attacks.
The conflict also arises. Hezbollah, an armed group supported by Iran, in retaliation for the death of Ali Khamenei. As a result, Israel has carried out aerial offensives against what it says are Hezbollah targets in the neighboring country. Hundreds of people have died on Lebanese territory since then.
With the death of much of its leadership, an Iranian council elected a new supreme leader: . Experts point out that he represents .
Donald Trump showed dissatisfaction with this choice, the . He had said that he would need to be involved in the process and said that Mojtaba would be “unacceptable” to Iran’s leadership.
