Trump says "free traffic of oil" must be part of any potential Iran deal

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz must be part of a proposal to end the war with Iran, President Donald Trump said.

“We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil and everything,” he said at a news conference at the White House today, CNN reports.

The president also conceded that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “different” from his other objectives as negotiators work to end the war with Iran.

Trump said earlier that a proposal put forth by other countries for a 45-day ceasefire was “not good enough.” The ceasefire plan is viewed as a last-ditch effort to stave off the massive strikes on Iranian power plants and other infrastructure that Trump has threatened if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.

Asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes whether he would accept a deal that did not include opening the strait or whether that is now a priority, Trump said, “I would say it’s a very big priority.”

The president also said he is not sure whether Tehran has the ability to drop mines in the Strait of Hormuz anymore.

“They don’t have any mine-droppers anymore,” he said. “I’m not even sure they have any mines there, by the way. … I think there might be none because they’re very good bullsh*t artists.”