President Donald Trump said that he is considering giving the order for US forces to attempt to take control of the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview with Weijia Jiang, the President said, while discussing the Strait of Hormuz, that he is “thinking about taking it over.” The Strait is the narrow point of the Persian Gulf. Twenty percent of the world’s oil supply transits the waterway.
Asked about Iran’s new Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who Trump has openly criticized, he said, “I have no message for him. None, whatsoever.” Trump said he has someone in mind to replace Khamenei, but he did not elaborate.
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) March 9, 2026
The US taking control of the Strait may be Trump’s attempt to stabilize oil prices. The spiking price of oil has led to higher gas prices in America.
While Trump’s goals for the war become more ambitious, he predicts it will end soon.
The President told Jiang, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.” He claimed that the US was “very far” ahead of the initial four to five week timeline.
He went on to say that Iran was out of missiles, but warned that if Tehran does attack, he will respond. “They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute, or it’s going to be the end of that country.”
However, Iran has continued to fire missiles at US bases, Israel, and America’s Gulf Arab allies.
Trump suggested a diplomatic outcome to the conflict was unlikely as he has not reached out to his new Iranian counterpart. “I have no message for [Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei]. None, whatsoever.” The President says he plans to appoint a new leader to take charge in Tehran.
