Trump Urges 'Free' Transit for US Ships Through Key Canals

US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged free transit for American commercial and military ships through the Panama and Suez canals, tasking his secretary of state with making progress "immediately."

- Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON:

Trump has for months been calling for the United States to take control of the Panama Canal, but his social media post also shifted focus onto the vital Suez route. "American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He claimed both routes would "not exist" without the United States and said he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to "immediately take care of" the situation.