US will control Hormuz, should be reimbursed as we are guardians: Trump
Donald Trump's remarks came as the US and Iran traded competing claims over who controls the Strait of Hormuz following renewed military exchanges in the Gulf.
Amid boiling tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump has said the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz and should be paid for securing one of the world's most important shipping routes. The strait carries about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, making it a key artery for international energy supplies.
Speaking in a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said the US would become the "guardian" of the strait and deserved compensation for protecting maritime traffic.
"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," Trump said.
Trump's remarks came as Washington and Tehran traded competing claims over who controls the Strait of Hormuz following renewed military exchanges in the Gulf. Iran has insisted it has authority over the waterway, while the US has maintained that commercial shipping remains open under international navigation rights.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass through the narrow waterway, making it one of the most strategically important maritime routes in the world. Any disruption to shipping there can send global energy prices higher.
IRAN RULES OUT US ROLE IN HORMUZ
Iran immediately rejected Trump's remarks on taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, with the country's top joint military command warning that it would not allow the US to intervene in the management of the strategic waterway.
The military said any attempt by US forces to transit the strait without Iran's authorisation would be "strongly confronted." It also warned regional countries that any cooperation with Washington would be regarded as "war against Iran," adding that if the conflict expands, it would spread across the region and that "the responsibility lies with the US and its allies."
TRUMP HITS OUT AT IRAN
During the interview, Trump also accused Iran of repeatedly changing its position during negotiations and said previous US administrations had allowed Tehran to grow stronger.
"Yesterday, they had an 11-hour meeting....They can't settle on one sentence in one minute," he said.
"Everything was agreed to yesterday and then they leave the room and call back and say, 'We had to make a couple of changes.' Changes? We're not going to make changes. They're professional negotiators. That's all they are."
Trump blamed his predecessors for failing to confront Iran. He singled out former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He again criticised the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it strengthened Tehran rather than curbing its nuclear ambitions.
"They've been tapping people along for 47 years. Every president got tapped along. They didn't do anything and Iran became more and more powerful. This should have been done 47 years ago."
"I held them down. I stopped them. I terminated the Iran nuclear deal. That agreement is one of the worst agreements ever signed by this country," he added.
TRUMP STANDS BY SOLEIMANI KILLING
Trump also defended the 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, describing him as "a brilliant but mad general."
"Had I not killed Khomeini, who was a brilliant but mad general, he was a crazy. I killed Soleimani. Soleimani was like one of the really, really bad people in this whole thing. But he was good at what he did. He was a very brilliant general," Trump said.
He further claimed that recent US military action had stopped Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"I'll tell you, had I not attacked with the B-2 bombers, they would have a nuclear weapon. And right now the Middle East in its current form would not exist."
US and Iranian forces traded heavy missile and drone attacks over the weekend and into Monday, as Tehran said it had struck US military facilities across the Gulf and kept the Strait of Hormuz closed, sending oil prices higher.
Amid boiling tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump has said the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz and should be paid for securing one of the world's most important shipping routes. The strait carries about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, making it a key artery for international energy supplies.
Speaking in a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said the US would become the "guardian" of the strait and deserved compensation for protecting maritime traffic.
"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," Trump said.
Trump's remarks came as Washington and Tehran traded competing claims over who controls the Strait of Hormuz following renewed military exchanges in the Gulf. Iran has insisted it has authority over the waterway, while the US has maintained that commercial shipping remains open under international navigation rights.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass through the narrow waterway, making it one of the most strategically important maritime routes in the world. Any disruption to shipping there can send global energy prices higher.
IRAN RULES OUT US ROLE IN HORMUZ
Iran immediately rejected Trump's remarks on taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, with the country's top joint military command warning that it would not allow the US to intervene in the management of the strategic waterway.
The military said any attempt by US forces to transit the strait without Iran's authorisation would be "strongly confronted." It also warned regional countries that any cooperation with Washington would be regarded as "war against Iran," adding that if the conflict expands, it would spread across the region and that "the responsibility lies with the US and its allies."
TRUMP HITS OUT AT IRAN
During the interview, Trump also accused Iran of repeatedly changing its position during negotiations and said previous US administrations had allowed Tehran to grow stronger.
"Yesterday, they had an 11-hour meeting....They can't settle on one sentence in one minute," he said.
"Everything was agreed to yesterday and then they leave the room and call back and say, 'We had to make a couple of changes.' Changes? We're not going to make changes. They're professional negotiators. That's all they are."
Trump blamed his predecessors for failing to confront Iran. He singled out former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He again criticised the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it strengthened Tehran rather than curbing its nuclear ambitions.
"They've been tapping people along for 47 years. Every president got tapped along. They didn't do anything and Iran became more and more powerful. This should have been done 47 years ago."
"I held them down. I stopped them. I terminated the Iran nuclear deal. That agreement is one of the worst agreements ever signed by this country," he added.
TRUMP STANDS BY SOLEIMANI KILLING
Trump also defended the 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, describing him as "a brilliant but mad general."
"Had I not killed Khomeini, who was a brilliant but mad general, he was a crazy. I killed Soleimani. Soleimani was like one of the really, really bad people in this whole thing. But he was good at what he did. He was a very brilliant general," Trump said.
He further claimed that recent US military action had stopped Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"I'll tell you, had I not attacked with the B-2 bombers, they would have a nuclear weapon. And right now the Middle East in its current form would not exist."
US and Iranian forces traded heavy missile and drone attacks over the weekend and into Monday, as Tehran said it had struck US military facilities across the Gulf and kept the Strait of Hormuz closed, sending oil prices higher.
