Trump Says U.S. Ready to Escort Hormuz Tankers as Iran Closes Strait
"If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible," Trump wrote in a social media post, signaling Washington's resolve to keep the vital waterway open for commerce.
Alongside the naval directive, Trump said he has instructed the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to extend political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade — particularly energy shipments — "traveling through the Gulf."
The announcement carries enormous economic weight. The Strait of Hormuz, wedged between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is the sole sea outlet connecting the Gulf to open waters, making it an irreplaceable artery for global oil and gas flows and one of the most strategically consequential chokepoints on Earth.
The urgency sharpened after Iranian state media reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had declared the strait closed to shipping, citing U.S. and Israeli attacks as rendering the waterway too dangerous for transit.
The standoff follows a dramatic escalation. Early Saturday, joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with members of his family, senior military commanders, and civilians. Tehran retaliated swiftly, launching successive waves of missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. bases throughout the Middle East.
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