Trump & Xi debate Strait of Hormuz closure as America mulls pausing gas tax

The leaders of the world's two largest economies have no shortage of disagreements, but when it comes to the ability for vessels to pass through an indispensable shipping route in the Middle East, there's no daylight between them.

According to a White House readout of a two-hour meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, "(t)he two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy."

The Iranian regime's obstruction of the strait and the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports have choked off about 20% of the world's crude oil supply and caused energy and other petroleum product prices to skyrocket. The national average for a gallon of regular gas in the United States on Thursday was $4.53, according to AAA. Before the war, it was $2.98.

Iran claimed Chinese ships were among several dozen vessels to pass through the strait since Wednesday under the regime's strict wartime protocol. China, which purchases about 90% of Iran's exported oil, has publicly called on both Iran and the United States to end their blockades.

#trump #china #oil #straitofhormuz #iranwar #gasprices

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