In a series of statements regarding the ongoing tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump suggested a novel approach to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global maritime chokepoint. During an interview, Trump remarked: ‘We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people. It’s a beautiful thing.’
Analysis: This statement is highly grotesque and detached from standard geopolitical logic. The suggestion that the United States—a nation currently engaged in a high-stakes military standoff with Iran—would enter into a ‘joint venture’ to collect tolls on international shipping is unprecedented. From a factual perspective, the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway governed by the principle of freedom of navigation. The proposal implies a form of state-sanctioned extortion or a partnership with a regime that the U.S. has simultaneously threatened with economic and military destruction. The absurdity lies in the juxtaposition of ‘securing’ the strait while legitimizing the collection of fees by an adversary, effectively turning a global trade route into a revenue-sharing project between two warring parties. This rhetoric ignores international maritime law and the concerns of global allies who rely on unrestricted passage through the Gulf.
Source: ABC News, April 8, 2026.
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