Fact Check: Did Trump ask Americans to 'pray to Allah' to open the Strait of Hormuz?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has led to a hike in gas prices, a rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump, in a social media post, requested Americans to pray to Allah to open the strait.
Let us analyze the rumor and fact-check the viral claim’s authenticity.
Claim: Trump asked Americans to pray to Allah
The claim surfaced on Twitter in the form of a screenshot showing an X post attributed to the president that states, “I think all Americans should say a little prayer to Allah. So far their God has kept the Strait closed, but if we pray hard enough to their God, our God who is a jealous God, will get off his a** and open the Strait of Hormel."
"Now some people will say this prayer request is blasphemy, and that there is only one true Christian God. But, they our partner in this war, Israel doesn't believe in Jesus, so how could it hurt?”
Fact Check: Trump did not post anything as such
However, a search of the president’s official X account for the statement yielded no results. A Google search also did not show any relevant results indicating that the president made the remark elsewhere.
If Trump had really made the tweet, it would have been widely covered by prominent news media outlets.
Moreover, the fake post mentions “Strait of Hormel” instead of Hormuz, a reference to the US food company Hormel Foods.
The inauthentic X post somewhat resembled a previous genuine Truth Social post by the president, in which he threatened Iran and ended his post with "Praise be to Allah."
Iran weighs US proposals, asserts control over Strait of Hormuz
The screenshot surfaced as Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed that Tehran is examining new proposals from the United States following recent indirect talks mediated by Pakistan’s Army Chief, Asim Munir.
Even as it considers the US proposals, Iran has reiterated its firm stance on maintaining extended control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil transit chokepoint.
“Iran is determined to exercise supervision and control over transit through the Strait of Hormuz until the definitive end of the war and realization of lasting peace in the region,” the council said in a statement carried by Mehr News.
The proposed mechanism includes imposing transit fees, issuing certificates, and restricting vessels to designated routes, measures Iran says are aimed at limiting supply lines to US military bases in the region.
