California Governor Gavin Newsom is not buying President Donald Trump's optimism about the Strait of Hormuz. In a pointed social media post, Newsom's press office shared an unverified TikTok video showing an influencer on a boat next to a container ship, asking whether the strait is open or closed. The caption was blunt: "Take it from shipping container captains … the strait is closed — despite what Trump claims every other day."
The pushback comes as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported an incident on Wednesday. A tanker master reported hearing two explosions near the ship while traveling through the strait, approximately 10 miles southeast of Kumzar, Oman. The crew and vessel are safe, and no environmental damage was reported, but the agency advised caution in the area.
Meanwhile, the geopolitical chess game over the waterway continues. Iranian officials are reportedly seeking a 5% to 7% toll on ships passing through, while Oman wants a 3% levy. But regional officials have denied backing Trump's claims of an imminent deal over strait traffic.
Trump recently called off strikes on Iran, a move his former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent praised as a potential step toward reopening the strait. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei poured cold water on that idea, saying any agreement with Oman on a new shipping route does not mean the strait will reopen.
So, is the strait open or closed? Depends on who you ask. But the explosions reported by UKMTO suggest the situation remains volatile, and Newsom's jab highlights the political divide over how to handle it.
