U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the Strait of Hormuz will permanently be open after secret talks with Xi Jinping, claiming the Chinese leader had agreed to stop arming Iran.
The President made the announcement on Wednesday, April 15, on Truth Social
‘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!!!’
President Trump declares Strait of Hormuz
After peace talks with the Islamic regime collapsed over the weekend, the President launched a naval blockade of Hormuz, an 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 war.
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.