President Donald Trump said at the weekend the United States could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “take the oil and make a fortune,” framing control of the world’s most critical energy chokepoint as both a strategic and economic opportunity.
The Strait carries roughly 20 per cent of global oil supply. Traffic through the waterway has been severely disrupted as Iranian threats, vessel attacks, and collapsing insurance coverage have curtailed tanker movements. Tanker flows have stalled, and crude and product markets have repriced sharply higher as a result.
“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding the move would be a “gusher” for the world.
The comments add to a series of mixed signals from Washington on how—or whether—it intends to restore flows through the Strait. Earlier statements suggested the U.S. would not take the lead in securing the passage, instead calling on other countries to act.
The operational reality remains unchanged. The Strait is not blocked by a single obstacle that can be cleared quickly. It is a live conflict zone. Missile and drone strikes have targeted tankers, ports, and energy infrastructure across the region. Iran has threatened to continue to strike assets linked to U.S. interests, including energy and logistics networks.
According to oilprice.com, after the Strait reopens, flows are unlikely to resume immediately. Shipping insurance, security risks, and physical damage to infrastructure would continue to disrupt the flow.
The market is already pricing that risk. Oil benchmarks have surged, and physical supply disruptions have tightened availability across multiple regions.
This line of thinking is coming as Trump last week failed to maintain a grip on oil prices.
For the first time in weeks, Donald Trump failed to cool oil markets, as escalating tensions with Iran crushed ceasefire hopes and reignited bullish momentum.
For the first time in many weeks, US President Trump couldn’t contain a late-week price surge as escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran dulled market bears’ expectations of a ceasefire anytime soon. WTI soared this week and is on par with ICE Brent (even if they trade different months), physical benchmarks above $140 per barrel bring back memories of 2008 and Tehran openly discusses introducing a toll mechanism for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The return from Easter holidays is all set for another crude awakening as strikes on Middle Eastern energy infrastructure continue.
