STRAIT OF HORMUZ — President Donald Trump appeared on Friday to suggest he could order U.S. forces to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and seize its oil, after U.S. intelligence reports warned that Iran is unlikely to open the waterway any time soon. The strait, which separates Iran and Oman, carries one-fifth of the world's oil trade.

"With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. Trump sought to downplay the difficulty of reopening the strait and made ending Iran's chokehold on the waterway a precondition for a ceasefire. He also called on Gulf oil-dependent countries and NATO allies to take the lead in reopening the passage.

The Strait of Hormuz is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lanes are only 2 miles wide in each direction. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has used attacks on civilian vessels, released mines, and demanded passage fees to make commercial transit through the strait too dangerous or uninsurable. Those tactics have effectively blocked traffic through the waterway.

The blockage has sent world oil prices to multi-year highs and caused fuel shortages in countries reliant on Gulf oil and gas.

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, said the situation presents a steep asymmetric challenge for any military effort to restore transit. "All it takes to disrupt traffic and deter vessels from passing through is one or two drones." Vaez said. He also said: "In the attempt to try to prevent Iran from developing a weapon of mass destruction, the U.S. handed Iran a weapon of mass disruption."

Former CIA Director Bill Burns offered a cautious assessment of the diplomatic path forward. "That sets up a really difficult negotiation right now." Burns said.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28. No Iranian government or military response to Trump's Friday remarks was immediately available.