President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has not yet been finalized, though he indicated negotiations with Iran are continuing and an agreement could come in the near future.
Asked by a reporter during an Oval Office event whether a deal had been reached, Trump stopped short of declaring a breakthrough.
“Well, I don’t want to say it has been,” Trump said. “It’s sort of open right now.”
Trump said the U.S. Navy continues to enforce the blockade around Iran, arguing that military control of the waterway has helped stabilize the situation. At the same time, he cautioned that shipping risks remain because Iran could still deploy naval mines or carry out attacks that would discourage commercial traffic.
“They can always shoot something,” Trump said. “They always have something or drop a mine. And if you have one mine sitting out there, you sort of mess things up because people don’t want to take their billion-dollar boats and accidentally get hit by a mine.”
Despite those concerns, Trump expressed confidence that negotiations are progressing.
“I think we’re doing very well,” he said. “I’m involved in the negotiation. I think we’re doing fine. It could be. It could be soon.”
Hours later, as he left a White House event honoring Team USA athletes, Trump offered a similarly optimistic assessment when asked whether there had been any developments.
“Moving along good,” he told reporters before departing.
Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.