Donald Trump said Donald Trump Strait of Hormuz alternatives could come from new pipelines and overland transportation routes across the Middle East, a shift he said could reduce the world’s reliance on the Strait of Hormuz. The remarks landed as Iran faces tighter sanctions pressure and fresh calls for United States and Iran to return to negotiations.
Trump’s route shift
Trump framed the idea around moving energy and trade away from a maritime chokepoint and onto land routes that would cross the Middle East. He did not identify a single pipeline or corridor, but the proposal points to a practical change: more cargo moving outside the Strait of Hormuz and less dependence on a narrow sea lane that links regional exports to global buyers.
The White House said on Friday that Trump is committed to slashing energy costs after diesel prices hit $5.85 a gallon in the United States. That domestic pressure sits alongside the broader energy debate, because any route that lowers exposure to shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz would also affect supply expectations in markets watching fuel costs.
Iran under sanctions pressure
A senior Iranian source told that Iran has about two months’ worth of gasoline left in its supply, and that the United States war and economic sanctions are imposing a heavy toll on Iran. The source said Iran has to import gasoline because of limited refining capacity, while the U.S. military’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports has cut off oil exports, according to.
The Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast against Iran last week, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the campaign aims to “tighten the noose and block every potential source of revenue that funds the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime.” Three Iranian sources told that the moves have left Iran with few remaining channels to obtain currency and goods. That is the friction in Trump’s route talk: the same region is being discussed as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz while Iran’s access to shipping, cash, and imports is already squeezed.
Egypt and Oman seek talks
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called on United States and Iran to return to negotiations on Saturday to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. Egypt’s foreign ministry said the matter came up in a phone call between Abdelatty and his Omani counterpart, and that the call touched on developments in the Strait of Hormuz and their implications for regional security and the global economy.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said both ministers stressed the need to maintain the security and safety of maritime navigation and ensure the smooth flow of trade and energy supplies. For a reader following energy and shipping risk, that leaves the immediate issue in two parts: Trump is arguing for new routes that would reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, while Egypt is pressing for talks that would lower the pressure around the same corridor before trade or fuel flows are forced to absorb more disruption.
The unresolved question is which specific Middle East pipelines or overland routes could realistically carry part of that traffic now. Trump has put the concept on the table; the diplomacy around the Strait of Hormuz is still centered on whether United States and Iran return to negotiations and how quickly regional shipping can stay open under growing strain.
