Trump Says Iran Wants Hormuz Open To Earn $500 Million Daily As US Blockade Continues

US President Donald Trump claims Iran wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened, stating its closure costs Tehran $500 million daily. He asserts the US has the waterway blockaded and that Iran's public threats are for domestic appearances. Trump says intermediaries approached him on Iran's behalf.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran is urgently seeking the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz because the closure is costing Tehran an estimated $500 million a day in lost oil revenue, even as Washington continues what he described as a “total blockade” on Iranian-linked shipping.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!).”

Trump further claimed that Iran’s public threats about shutting the crucial waterway were mainly political messaging designed to preserve its image domestically, not a reflection of its economic interests.

He added: “They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to ‘save face.’”

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments, making it one of the most strategically important maritime corridors in global trade. Any prolonged disruption there can rapidly affect crude prices, shipping insurance costs and energy markets worldwide.

Trump said intermediaries had approached him in recent days to say Tehran wanted commercial traffic restored immediately.

According to his statement: “People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’”

Despite that, Trump insisted the US would not ease pressure prematurely, arguing that lifting restrictions now could weaken Washington’s leverage in ongoing negotiations.

Shipping data shows traffic through the waterway remains heavily restricted, with only a handful of vessels moving through in the last 24 hours compared with normal daily volumes before the conflict.

The remarks come as Trump extends the Iran ceasefire but keeps military and economic pressure intact, signalling that the Strait of Hormuz remains central to the administration’s strategy of forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table.

For now, the message from Washington is clear: the ceasefire may continue, but the pressure on Iran’s oil lifeline is not easing anytime soon.