Donald Trump Panama demands ‘free’ transit for American ships through Suez Canals
US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for free passes to US military and commercial ships through Panama and Suez Canals, directing the state’s Marco Rubio to work on the issue “immediately”.
“American ships, both military and commercial, should be allowed to travel for free, through Panama and Suez Canals!” Trump wrote on his true social stage. He argued that both strategic waterways would be “not present” without American participation and said he had directed Rubio to “take care of the matter immediately”.
Trump has advocated more and more US control over the Panama Canal in recent months. His latest comments also focused on the Suez Canal, a significant link between Europe and Asia that was responsible for about 10 percent of the global maritime trade before interrupting security threats.
Attacks on the Red Sea Shipping Lane by Yemen’s Iran-supported Hathi rebels have forced ships to move around Africa’s southern tip, causing large delays and financial losses. The rebels began to target ships after the outbreak of the Gaza War, claiming to support Palestinians.
Egypt recorded a 60 percent decline in the revenue of the Suez Canal last year, resulting in a loss of $ 7 billion. Meanwhile, American military attacks against Huthi posts have intensified under the leadership of Trump, which has increased to close-related attacks in the last one month. Trump pledged that the military campaign will continue “until the Huthi is not threatened with shipping.”
