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Trump declares Strait of Hormuz will remain international waters with no country controlling it and rules out sanctions relief for Iran
At a White House cabinet meeting, President Trump declared that the Strait of Hormuz will be open to everybody as international waters and that nobody is going to control it. He ruled out easing sanctions on Iran, refused to let Russia or China take Iran's enriched uranium, and said the US has lost only 13 soldiers across two wars. Treasury Secretary Bessent reported GDP growth of 2.7% with Q2 forecast at 4.3%.
President Trump delivered a series of significant statements on the Iran conflict during a White House cabinet meeting, making clear that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open as international waters under no single country's control. When asked directly whether he would accept a deal allowing Iran and Oman to manage the strait, Trump was unequivocal, stating that nobody is going to control it and that the United States will watch over it. He added a stark warning to any party that might attempt to exert control, saying they understand the consequences.
The president ruled out multiple concessions that Iran has reportedly sought in negotiations. He stated there would be no easing of sanctions, no return of money, and no relaxation of financial restrictions on Tehran. When pressed on whether Russia or China could take custody of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Trump responded bluntly that such an arrangement would not make him comfortable. These statements significantly narrow the parameters of any potential deal and suggest the administration is maintaining a hardline negotiating position despite pressure to reach an agreement.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented economic data at the meeting that the administration characterised as evidence of economic strength despite the ongoing conflict. Real GDP has risen 2.7 percent over the past four quarters, and the Atlanta Fed GDP Now model is projecting 4.3 percent growth for the current quarter. Business investment surged at a 10.4 percent annual rate in the first quarter, with capital expenditures on equipment rising more than 17 percent. Bessent described current price increases as transitory and predicted oil would fall below pre-conflict levels once the situation is resolved.
Trump drew comparisons between the current conflict and past American wars, noting that the United States has lost approximately 13 soldiers across the Iran and Venezuela conflicts combined. He contrasted this with the hundreds of thousands of casualties in Vietnam, Korea and the Middle East wars, framing the low casualty count as evidence of military capability rather than inaction. When asked to place the negotiations on a football field, Trump said he believed the talks were going very well and that Iran was beginning to make concessions.
However, political analysts appearing on Bloomberg pushed back against the administration's optimistic framing. Democratic analyst Jeannie Shanzano noted that the president's approval has slipped below 40 percent, a threshold where governing becomes materially harder and presidential credibility begins to weaken. She argued that the cabinet meeting's messaging creates dissonance with ordinary Americans struggling with high gas prices and grocery costs. The best case scenario for a deal, she suggested, would be an open strait and a version of the nuclear agreement similar to the one achieved under Obama, which Trump himself terminated during his first term.