Iran in ‘state of collapse’: Trump says Tehran wants US to open Strait of Hormuz as leadership crisis deepens

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran had communicated to Washington that it is in a "state of collapse" and urged the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the country attempts to stabilise its leadership.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he believed Iran would be able to resolve its internal leadership crisis, signalling a degree of openness even as the two countries remain locked in a high-stakes standoff over the vital waterway.

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"Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse.' They want us to 'Open the Hormuz Strait,' as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!)," Trump wrote.

Hormuz Crisis: Two months in the making

The Hormuz crisis escalated after US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning February 28, 2026, following the breakdown of nuclear negotiations in Geneva. In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, Iranian authorities effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz — the only waterway out of the Gulf, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies were shipped from Gulf producers in peacetime.

The near-shutdown of the vital chokepoint sent oil prices spiralling, leading to higher prices for gasoline and other products in the US.

Iran, the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, exports 90 per cent of its crude oil via Kharg Island for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has not only squeezed Iran's own revenues but rattled global energy markets.

Dual blockade, stalled talks

Following the failure of talks in Islamabad, the US Navy began blockading Iranian ports from April 13, creating what analysts described as a "dual blockade" with the US Navy blockading Iran and Iran blockading the Gulf.

Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifted its blockade and the war ended, while setting aside nuclear negotiations for later. The White House confirmed that Trump and his national security team discussed Iran's offer.

However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to pour cold water on Iran's proposal, saying Iran's version of "opening the straits" amounted to demanding permission and payment to use what are international waterways.

"Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway and how much you have to pay them to use it," Rubio said.

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The UN Secretary-General has warned that the US-Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz risks triggering a global food emergency. Qatar, where Gulf leaders met on Tuesday, said the Strait should not be used as a pressure card and warned against the possibility of a "frozen conflict."