Donald Trump is pushing to have the Strait of Hormuz reopened after Iran has kept it closed since late February.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial maritime corridor located between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It is the only sea route linking the Persian Gulf with the open ocean, and the International Energy Agency (IAE) says about 25 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade moves through the passage.
“Disruption to flows through the Strait would have huge consequences for world oil markets,” the IAE adds, and Iran’s blocking of the channel has done just that.
Because of the economic impact, the US has been attempting to strike an agreement with Iran that would allow full access through the Strait of Hormuz again, though talks over recent weeks have not produced a deal.
Iran’s stance has also appeared to shift. After initially moving to stop traffic, the country is now said to be seeking ownership of the waterway and to require payments from ships that pass through.
Some proposals have floated the idea of shared control between Oman and Iran, but Trump rejected that possibility.
“The strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump declared on Tuesday (May 26).
He continued, speaking to The Guardian:
“Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it. But nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have.”
Trump then warned that Oman would face consequences if it did not fall in line with his position.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: The Strait is going to be open to everybody. It’s international waters. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it.
Oman will behave like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. pic.twitter.com/hCs1tIhZGP
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 27, 2026
“Oman will behave just like everybody else. Or else we’ll have to blow them up,” Trump said. “They understand that. They’ll be fine.”
Although some observers questioned whether the president had misspoken, the Department of State later reposted the remarks on Twitter, indicating the threat was being treated as a serious statement.
Meanwhile, Iran has launched the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), which has announced that no vessel may pass through the strategic route without its express authorization.
There has also been speculation about the introduction of a transit fee. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Australia’s ABC that this is not the case; however, she did say that ‘navigation and the preservation of the ecosystem of the Strait, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will have costs’, per CNBC.