‘Numbers that nobody ever saw’, Trump says Hormuz traffic hits record levels

Washington, July 2 (IANS) President Donald Trump said that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had reached record levels and predicted further declines in oil prices, offering an upbeat assessment of the situation with Iran during a speech in North Dakota.

“Those boats are coming out of the Hormuz Strait. They’re coming out by numbers that nobody ever saw. We’re setting records actually,” Trump said while dedicating the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora on Wednesday (local time).

“The oil is dropping,” he said. “I don’t give a damn if they’re happy or sad, I want the prices to go down. And the oil is dropping like nobody thought possible. But I told you it would. Total control, we have total control of everything.”

Trump also briefly referred to Iran while discussing US foreign policy.

“We’re actually doing equally as well with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Maybe you’ve heard of it,” he said, without elaborating.

The remarks came as Trump shifted repeatedly between commemorating Theodore Roosevelt and discussing his administration’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. He linked lower energy prices to what he described as a broader economic revival.

“This is just the beginning of the Golden Age of America,” Trump said. “America is going to experience something that I can truly say, I believe the best is yet to come.”

Trump also argued that the United States had regained international standing.

“Today, America is stronger and more respected right now,” he said, adding that other countries now viewed the United States differently than before.

The Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes, carrying a significant share of globally traded crude and liquefied natural gas. Any disruption to shipping through the waterway is closely watched by energy markets and major oil-importing countries.

–IANS

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