This comes as the waterway that carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas remains effectively closed on the 15th day of the US and Israel’s war on Iran. In the post, Trump asserted that the US had “already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability,” while conceding in the same breath that Tehran could still “send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile” along the waterway. A Turkish-owned vessel was similarly allowed through earlier this week after Ankara negotiated passage directly with Tehran, with 14 more Turkish vessels still awaiting clearance. The US is reinforcing its presence in the region, with some 2,500 Marines and the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship en route to the Middle East following a request by CENTCOM approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The strait is a critical conduit for LNG exports, the primary feedstock for the nitrogen-based fertilisers used to grow the staple grains and cereals that provide more than 40 percent of global caloric intake. At least 1,444 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on February 28, with Lebanon’s death toll also mounting and Gulf states facing sustained drone and missile fire.