US allowed 3 Chinese tankers to exit Strait of Hormuz before president's trip, Trump says
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- US President Donald Trump said the US allowed three Chinese tankers carrying Iranian oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
- The remarks come amid heightened tensions as Iran continues to restrict commercial transit through the vital shipping route.
The United States allowed three Chinese tankers filled with Iranian oil out of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, President Donald Trump said today.
The tankers were allowed to transit the waterway “because we allowed that to happen,” the president said in an interview with Fox News.
Trump is just getting back to the US from his visit to China and meetings with the country’s leader Xi Jinping. The vessels were allowed out of the Strait before the trip, Trump said.
Iran has effectively shut the strait to normal commercial transit, declaring that ships must pay a transit fee. The US, in turn, has blocked Iran’s ports.
Some more context: Iran has claimed that some 30 vessels – including at least one Chinese ship – have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday night, state media reported, adding that it was “with Iran’s permission.”
