U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran is seeking the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States of America , amid rising tensions over maritime security in the Gulf region.

Mr Trump made the claim in a social media post on Tuesday, also alleging that Iran had described itself as being in a “state of collapse,” without providing evidence or source of the message.

It was not immediately clear how the U.S. president obtained the alleged communication or whether it came through official diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said it was not necessary to remove all mines allegedly laid in the Strait of Hormuz for vessels to pass safely.

He said establishing a secure navigation route would be enough to allow ships to move in and out of the strategic waterway.

“You just need a pathway for ships to be moved in and out, I think that can happen quickly,” Mr Wright was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

U.S. media reports said Mr Trump was dissatisfied with Iran’s latest peace proposal, which reportedly calls for reopening the strait and ending a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The proposal is said to defer discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme to a later stage of negotiations, according to White House officials cited in the reports.

Mr Trump earlier insisted that any peace deal with Iran would be on U.S. terms, adding that there was no fixed timeline for ending tensions.

He also said there was “no time pressure” on ceasefire arrangements or stalled diplomatic discussions with Tehran. 

(Xinhua/NAN)