Trump: Texas, Alaska could be ‘alternatives’ to Strait of Hormuz

Administration Trump: Texas, Alaska could be ‘alternatives’ to Strait of Hormuz Comments: by Finya Swai - 07/15/26 9:24 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 07/15/26 9:24 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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President Trump on Tuesday suggested pipelines in Texas and Alaska could serve as alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said is “open if people want to go through it” despite Iranian officials blocking maritime shipping through the region.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump was pressed on shipping tracking data showing only 10 vessels passed through the strait on Monday — less than 10 percent of what normally passes through.

The steep decline occurred in the aftermath of tit-for-tat exchanges of airstrikes between the U.S. and Iran and escalating tensions in the region.

“When you say the strait is open, what do you mean?” Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst asked the president.

“It’s open if people want to go through it,” Trump 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.”

Trump then pointed to domestic energy infrastructure as an alternative to the shipping corridor.

“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.”

He appeared to suggest that the new pipeline infrastructure could reduce reliance on the strait — the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman that normally carries one-fifth of global oil supplies.

Traffic through the critical waterway has dropped to its lowest point in five weeks. Reuters reported that just six ships transited through the strait on Sunday, and traffic from tankers carrying oil and gas supplies hit a new low not seen since late May.

Iran attacked commercial tankers from the United Arab Emirates, killing one crew member. The hostilities prompted the U.S. to resume a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz barring access to and from Iranian ports.

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