Trump Claims Texas and Alaska Could Be ‘Alternatives’ to the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump curiously claimed that pipelines in Texas and Alaska could be “alternatives” to the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the U.S. bombed Iran for a fourth consecutive day after U.S. officials accused the Iranian government of violating the memorandum of understanding that the countries signed last month. Iranian officials insist that Article 5 of the memo states that Iran is to arrange all passages through the vital passageway in Iranian waters. However, some ships have sought to bypass this by traveling along the Omani coast instead. Last week, Iran bombed several tankers, killing one crewmember. In response, the U.S. has resumed its blockade of Iranian ships in the Gulf of Oman, in addition to bombing Iran.

Trump and other U.S. officials have claimed that the strait is open.

Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst interviewed Trump on Tuesday and noted that traffic through the strait has drastically decreased.

“Shipping data trackers indicate that just 10 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday,” Yingst stated. “Less than 10% of what normally goes through this critical waterway. When you say the strait is open, what do you mean?”

“It’s open if people want to go through it,” the president said. “We’re not opening it for Iran. That’s the only one it’s closed for. It’s closed for Iran both in and out. But it’s open now. A lot of things have happened, Trey, in the last few months. Pipelines are being built. We’re coming up with great alternatives, including Texas, including Alaska.”

Despite Trump’s claim, the U.S. is not policing which vessels are allowed through the strait. Rather, the U.S. naval blockade is being enforced well outside the strait, in the Gulf of Oman.

Watch above via Fox News.

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