Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz ‘permanently open’ after secret talks with Xi Jinping, claiming the Chinese leader had agreed to stop arming Iran.
The President made the announcement Wednesday on Truth Social, adding that Xi would give him ‘a big, fat, hug’ at an upcoming meeting.
‘China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again.’
‘They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,’ Trump continued.
‘We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!!’
After peace talks with the Islamic regime collapsed over the weekend, the President launched a naval blockade of Hormuz, a critical oil chokepoint through which one fifth of the world’s supply flows.
Trump imposed the blockade to push Tehran back to the negotiating table, with the President reportedly reluctant to resume the bombing campaign which has brought chaos to the Middle East.
It remains unclear whether Trump was declaring the strait open to shipping traffic immediately, or signaling an intent to reach a permanent resolution as peace talks with Iran continue. The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump and Xi are expected to meet for a diplomatic summit in Beijing in mid-May to discuss managing trade tariffs and US access to rare earth minerals.
The summit will be Trump’s first major foreign trip since launching the war against Iran – China’s largest Middle Eastern ally.
China, along with Russia, has assisted Iran throughout the five-week war by providing satellite imagery and intelligence used to help target US military bases with ballistic missiles and suicide drones.
In the last 24-hours, the US military has blocked six oil tankers from moving through the strait.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, is preparing to send 6,000 more troops to the region aboard the USS George HW Bush and several other warships.
Beijing has been critical of Trump’s blockade with Xi Jinping calling it ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ while noting the world must not ‘revert to the law of the jungle.’
After Trump launched the war, Iran retaliated by choking off traffic through the Strait with swarms of explosive speedboats, drones, and naval mines.
Tehran has also sought to impose de facto tolls on passing oil tankers, allowing favored partners like China and India to transit more freely while pressuring Western vessels.
The economic fallout has driven gas prices sharply higher and fueled inflation across the US, with the national average climbing to around $4.10 a gallon as crude oil prices hover above $100 per barrel.
Trump indicated on Wednesday morning that the war may come to a peaceful resolution within the next 48-hours.
The President said ‘you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead’ as he teased a forthcoming deal in a phone call with ABC News.
‘They really do have a different regime now. No matter what, we took out the radicals. They’re gone, no longer with us,’ Trump said.
‘If I weren’t President, the world would be torn to pieces.’
Negotiations fell apart earlier this weekend over US demands that Iran fully abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Washington pushed for Tehran to halt all uranium enrichment for 20 years and hand over its entire stockpile.
