Trump Willing to End Iran War Without Reopening the Strait of Hormuz
WSJ: Trump told aides he'll end the war even if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed — leaving the world's most critical oil chokepoint blocked. He wants allies to clean up the mess. Leavitt confirmed reopening Hormuz is "not a core objective."
The Wall Street Journal reported on March 30, 2026 that Trump told aides he is willing to end the Iran war even if the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world's oil flows — remains largely closed, leaving the complex operation to reopen it "for a later date."
The reasoning: a mission to reopen Hormuz would push the conflict beyond his timeline of four to six weeks. Rather than accomplish it, Trump decided to simply declare it someone else's problem.
His options, per the WSJ:
- Option 1: Negotiate an end to the war with Iran reopening the Strait as part of a deal — but Iran has rejected all negotiations
- Option 2: Demand that allies — Gulf states and NATO — lead operations to reopen the Strait themselves — the same allies he called "COWARDS" for refusing to join the war
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that ensuring safe passage through Hormuz is "not one of the core objectives" Trump has set for ending the military operation.
Let this sink in. Trump started a war that closed the world's most critical oil chokepoint — causing the largest supply disruption in oil market history, sending gas to $4/gallon, and oil to $126/barrel. Now he wants to end the war and leave the strait closed. The allies he insulted are supposed to fix it. Iran, which he attacked during peace talks, is supposed to negotiate. And the global economy is supposed to absorb a permanent disruption to 20% of the world's oil supply.
He broke it. He got bored. He wants to leave. And someone else can clean it up.