As gas prices hit $4 a gallon for the first time in years, the Trump administration appears to be distancing itself from efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post early Tuesday that countries affected by the de facto closure of the strait should go get their own oil. In a press conference on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that opening the strait was not the U.S.’s problem moving forward.
“I think the president was clear this morning in his Truth that there are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well,” he said. “It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well.”
Hegseth said the U.S. uses the strait “dramatically less than most. So the world ought to pay attention to be prepared to stand up.”
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Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on March 2, days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on the country. More than 20% of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which sits along Iran’s southern coast. Iran’s closing of the strait, plus disruptions to the flow of liquified natural gas from Qatar and the UAE, have shocked the global energy market.
The administration’s rhetoric has shifted on the strait — at one point, Trump floated escorting tankers through it.
“The president said, if necessary and when appropriate, the U.S. Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on March 4. “Ultimately the energy industry is going to benefit from the president’s actions with respect to Iran, because Iran will no longer be controlling the Strait of Hormuz and restricting the free flow of energy, which, as you all know, controls 20% of the world’s global oil supply.”
But escorting tankers and otherwise reopening the strait pose operational challenges and military risks. The Trump administration has since stepped away from large-scale efforts to reopen it, saying that keeping the strait open was not one of its original objectives.
Asked about the strait and the president’s social media post, the White House referred NOTUS to comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Monday, which appeared to stand in contrast to the president’s own post.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be open when this operation is over … one way or another,” Rubio said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “It will be open because Iran agrees to abide by international law and not block the commercial waterway, or a coalition of nations around the world and the region, with the participation of the United States, will make sure that it’s open.”
U.S. allies in the region, like France and the United Kingdom, have resisted Trump’s calls to help reopen the canal so far.
Meanwhile, gas prices have continued to rise since the beginning of the war. U.S. gas hit an average price of $4 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time since 2022, and prices are expected to rise further. Brent crude oil futures are hovering at more than $100 a barrel.
The White House has repeatedly dismissed the steep increase as temporary.
“When Operation Epic Fury is complete, gas prices will plummet back to the multi-year lows American drivers enjoyed before these short-term disruptions,” Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump remains committed to fully unleashing American energy dominance, lowering costs, and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking American families.”
The Trump administration has taken measures to address the price of gas, including lifting sanctions on Iran and Russia to help stabilize the global oil supply.
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