Trump declares Strait of Hormuz 'permanently open'

US president Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz 'permanently open' despite his ongoing naval blockade amid growing concerns from China.

Trump said on Wednesday morning that he is reopening the strait following private discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

'China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. I am doing it for them, also—and the World. This situation will never happen again.'

Trump then claimed China has agreed to no longer send Iran weapons as the war continues, before adding: 'President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks.'

'We are working together smartly and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to - far better than anyone else!!!'

His remarks came as Trump is set to travel to Beijing from May 14-15 for a meeting with President Xi Jinping, marking the US president’s first visit to China in his second term.

After peace talks with the Islamic regime collapsed over the weekend, the President launched a naval blockade of Hormuz, a critical oil chokepoint through which roughly a quarter of the world’s supply flows.

The blockade has reportedly put an economic stranglehold over Tehran in hopes they will return to the negotiating table.

It comes after the US military earlier claimed it has “maritime superiority in the Middle East” since it began a blockade on Monday, in response to failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad over the weekend.