Strait of Hormuz to remain closed until agreement to end war - Trump
The U.S. president called an extension of the cease-fire, which expires this week, unlikely
The day before, Trump said he was sending a delegation to Pakistan for a new round of talks / Photo: whitehouse.gov
The U.S. Navy will not lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz until there is a final agreement to end the war with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with Bloomberg on April 20.
"The Iranians are desperate to open it. I will not open it until there is an agreement," Trump said.
Trump said that if a truce agreement is not reached, an extension of the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is "highly unlikely." The cease-fire expires on April 22.
"I'm not going to rush to make an unfavorable deal. We still have plenty of time," Trump said. Asked if he expects an immediate resumption of hostilities if there is no deal, Trump said, "If there is no agreement, I certainly expect that."
How the market reacted
US indices on Trump's statements intensified their fall: the Nasdaq Composite was the biggest loser, down 0.8%.
Updated
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
