Trump Warns Iran to Open Hormuz or Get 'Hit Very Hard'
The US president said talks were ongoing, as Axios reported Washington, Tehran and Muscat were nearing an interim deal to reopen the strategic waterway.
US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face being "hit very hard".
"The strait is going to be open very soon, or they're going to get hit very hard – and then the strait's going to be open," Trump said during a visit to California.
Trump said talks were ongoing, as Axios reported that the United States, Iran and Oman were nearing an interim deal to reopen the strait, which Washington was hoping to announce on Wednesday.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global oil and gas supplies, has been the spark for repeated returns to fighting.
"We're having very good discussions," he said, insisting that Iran was keen to find a way to bring an end to a conflict that began on Feb 28 when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
"The only thing that matters is action. And they want to make a deal. We'll see what happens," he said, adding: "I have plenty of time."
Axios, citing unnamed regional officials and a US official, said the deal on the table would be a 60-day arrangement for safe passage in the strait between Iran and Oman.
That deal – which would not involve the payment of tolls – could then be extended, the report said.
Under the proposed arrangement, all traffic heading into the Gulf would take a northern shipping lane, while outbound traffic would use a southern lane through Oman's territorial waters.
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