Trump says deal to reopen the Strait could come soon while defending US missile arsenal
President Donald Trump is pushing back on reports the U.S. is running low on key missiles amid the war in Iran, while expressing new optimism about talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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Trump pushes back on shortage reports
On Wednesday, Straight Arrow and other news outlets reported that the U.S. has sharply drawn down some of its most important missile stockpiles during the war with Iran.
Early Thursday morning, Trump rejected those reports, writing that the U.S. has “massive amounts” of munitions while warning the “leakers” of what he called “treasonous statements” are being hunted down and could face long prison sentences.
But The Washington Post reports Trump privately clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week after learning the shortages were more serious than he believed.
He reportedly vented to Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, saying he thought the shortage issue “had been fixed.”
The Post says concerns about U.S. munitions have also factored into his military decisions.
Ongoing talks
Meanwhile, Trump said a deal involving the Strait of Hormuz could come this week.
Iran said Thursday it is in the final stages of drafting an agreement with Oman, but said the talks are about shipping routes and vessel movement, not a full reopening of the Strait.
It comes as oil prices continue to be impacted by the closure, and a U.S. blockade remains in place.
In Las Vegas Wednesday, Trump reiterated that the U.S. is in talks with Iran while also doubling down on threats.
“I’d rather make a deal because I don’t want to kill people. I do not want to kill people. But at some point we’re going to — we had — we were set for the biggest attack of any attack. And we’ve hit them very hard for the last few months,” Trump said. “But we were all set for the biggest attack since World War II. And they called me, and they said, ‘Please don’t do it; let’s talk.’ And then they don’t. They say, we never said that. You know what the fake news knows. They did say that. But we are talking. Let’s see what happens.”
Trump said he still prefers a negotiated deal with Iran, but warned the U.S. is prepared to take further military action if talks fall apart.