Trump: Ships change course away from Hormuz and Washington continues negotiations with Iran

Washington —
US President Donald Trump said that commercial ships have begun diverting their routes away from the Strait of Hormuz towards American ports, noting that some of them are heading to buy oil from the United States amid ongoing unrest in the Gulf.

Trump confirmed that his country possesses “huge quantities of oil” and is not facing an energy crisis, considering that the change in ship routes reflects the United States' ability to compensate for part of the supplies affected by the tension in the strait.

At the same time, the US president said that Washington is still negotiating with Iran, affirming that the ceasefire remains in place despite recent clashes in the region.

Trump pointed out that three American destroyers crossed “difficult areas” in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that US forces were fired upon and responded with greater force, according to his words.

He stressed that Iran will not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, saying that reaching an agreement “may happen any day and may not happen,” but he considered that Tehran is the party most eager to conclude the agreement, urging it to sign it quickly.

In a related context, Trump said that Pakistan asked the United States not to carry out the “Freedom Project” operation during the negotiation period, referring to the American operation aimed at securing navigation and removing stuck ships from the Strait of Hormuz.

These statements coincided with tension inside the Gulf, after the Pentagon described an Iranian missile attack on the port of Fujairah in the UAE as a “limited incident,” which angered Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both of which considered that downplaying the severity of the attack threatens the security of the region.

According to American reports, Riyadh and Kuwait temporarily suspended allowing US forces to use their air bases and airspace within the “Freedom Project” operation, before later returning to allow this after communications with Washington.

On the ground, the United States carried out strikes on targets inside Iran including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, and Kargan Port in Minab, while air defenses were activated in Tehran, indicating the fragility of the truce and the continued risk of escalation despite the negotiation track.