Trump demands free passage for US ships through Panama and Suez canals

In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship is accompanied by Suez Canal tugboats as it moves in the Suez Canal, Egypt, Monday, March 29, 2021. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)
In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship is accompanied by Suez Canal tugboats as it moves in the Suez Canal, Egypt, Monday, March 29, 2021. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump urges free transit for American commercial and military ships through the Panama and Suez canals, tasking his secretary of state with making progress “immediately.”

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 writes on his Truth Social platform.

He claims both routes would “not exist” without the United States and says he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “immediately take care of” the situation.

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