We saw President Donald Trump take the audacious move of launching U.S. strikes against military targets on Iran’s very important Kharg Island, where so much of their oil goes through.
While Trump said they wiped out the military targets, he also made it clear they didn’t hit the oil installations. But he warned Iran that if they didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz, they would consider hitting them. He also said the United States and other countries would send warships to ensure that the Strait was open. Marines were also being dispatched to the region.
READ MORE: ‘Find Out’ Moment: Trump Makes Big Announcement About What the US Just Did to Iran’s Kharg Island
Up to 2,500 Marines Are Headed to the Persian Gulf As Iranian Blockade of Hormuz Takes Center Stage
After Trump’s warning and action against Kharg, we get what sounds like a huge cave from Iran.
Iran said Saturday that all countries besides the US and Israel may pass through the Strait of Hormuz, in a desperate attempt at coalition busting less than a day after the US bombed military targets on its oil-critical Kharg Island.
“As a matter of fact, the Strait of Hormuz is open,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
“It is only closed to the tankers and ships belong[ing] to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass,” Araghchi told MS NOW.
So that immediately gives up most of the leverage they might have thought they had, probably out of fear of what Trump would do. He’s shown them in the past that he will follow through.
They’re trying to salvage things, hoping to break up the coalition by saying it’s only the people firing on them.
Araghchi noted that many ships “prefer” not to undertake the journey due to “security concerns,” but insisted, “this has nothing to do with us.”
“And I can say that the Strait is not closed, but it is only closed to American, Israeli, you know, ships and tankers, and not to others.”
The U.S. doesn’t have a lot of traffic through the Strait; the real impact has been on Asian markets. If they’re saying they’re letting those countries through, that should calm those markets. That also sounds like the report of mines in the Strait from Iran is probably a myth.
Things are going through on Saturday.
Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas crossed the Strait, Reuters reported Saturday.
“They crossed the Strait of Hormuz safely early this morning and are en route to India,” Rajesh Kumar Sinha, the minister of ports and shipping in New Delhi, said.
Araghchi claimed many ships were traversing the Strait.
He’s clearly hoping to stave off a further attack around the Strait from the U.S. and Israel.
Aragchi also tried to quell questions about the condition of the “Supreme Leader,” Mojtaba Khamenei.
“He sent his message yesterday and will perform his duties – he is performing his duties according to the constitution and will continue to do that,” Araghchi added.
If Khamenei is able to work, then he should be able to broadcast a message in his own voice or make a physical appearance. But he hasn’t. So that’s not convincing people.
We’ll have to see what Trump’s response is to this. But sounds like Iran knows it went too far, and is furiously backpedaling.
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