Trump says Iran wants to keep Strait of Hormuz closed to ‘save face’
US President Donald Trump said late Tuesday that Iran wants to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to "save face."
"Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!). They only say they want it closed because I have it totally blockaded (closed!), so they merely want to 'save face'," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
"People approached me four days ago, saying, 'Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.' But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!"
Earlier Tuesday, Trump announced that the US would extend its ceasefire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a "unified proposal" following a request by Pakistani officials.
Pakistan hosted talks between the US and Iran on April 11-12 after brokering a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which had been set to expire Wednesday evening Washington time.
Efforts for another round of negotiations are underway, though uncertainty remains.
In a separate post, Trump claimed that Iran "is collapsing financially."
"Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash!" he wrote.
He argued that Iran is losing roughly $500 million per day due to the situation.
"Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!" he added.
US urges citizens to leave Iran immediately as airspace partially reopens
Advisory tells Americans to depart by air or land to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Turkmenistan.
The US on Wednesday urged American citizens in Iran to depart the country immediately, following the partial reopening of Iranian airspace as of April 21.
The travel advisory called on US citizens to monitor local media for updates and consult commercial carriers for available flights.
For those unable to fly, the advisory outlined land border options via Armenia, Türkiye, and Turkmenistan, while noting that Azerbaijan's land borders remain closed to routine traffic and require prior government approval.
The statement warned that "U.S. citizens should not travel to Afghanistan, Iraq, or the Pakistan-Iran border area," cautioning that Iranian authorities may prevent departures or impose exit fees on Americans.
It also reminded US-Iranian dual nationals that Iran does not recognize dual nationality and will treat them solely as Iranian citizens. Americans in Iran face "significant risk of questioning, arrest, and detention," the advisory said.
Those unable to depart have been advised to shelter in place and stay away from windows.
A two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran was extended on Tuesday, after a request from Pakistan's prime minister and army chief. US President Donald Trump said the truce will remain in place until the Iranian leadership submits a new proposal to end the conflict that engulfed the entire region, including Gulf countries.
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