Trump warns Iran to open Hormuz or get 'hit very hard'

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, United States: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran would be “hit very hard” unless the strategic Strait of Hormuz is reopened “very soon,” in an interview with Fox News.

Trump said that talks were ongoing, as Axios reported that the US, Iran and Oman were nearing an interim deal to reopen the strait, which Washington was hoping to announce Wednesday.

“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.

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 February 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.”

“I have plenty of time,” he added.

Later, as he was about to board Air Force One for a flight from California to Las Vegas, Trump said he believed a deal could happen “tomorrow or the next day.”

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.

All traffic heading into the Gulf would take a northern shipping lane, and outbound traffic would use a southern lane through Oman’s territorial waters.