WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Apr 26) urged free transit for American commercial and military ships through the Panama and Suez canals, tasking his secretary of state with making progress "immediately." Trump has for months been calling for the United States to take control of the Panama Canal but his social media post also shifted focus onto the vital Suez route. "American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He claimed both routes would "not exist" without the United States and said he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to "immediately take care of" the situation. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, without directly referencing Trump, said on Saturday that toll fees for the Panama Canal are regulated by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), an autonomous governing body that oversees the trade route. "There is no agreement to the contrary," he said in a post on X. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said during a visit to Panama City earlier this month that the United States was seeking an agreement under which its warships could pass through the canal "first, and free." The United States and China are two of the top users of the Panama Canal.

Egypt's Suez Canal, a key waterway linking Europe and Asia, accounted for about 10 per cent of global maritime trade before attacks by Yemen's Huthi rebels on shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Iran-backed rebels began targeting vessels after the start of the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians, forcing ships to take a long and costly detour around the southern tip of Africa. Egypt said last year its canal revenues had plunged 60 per cent, a loss of US$7 billion. The US military has been attacking Huthi positions since January 2024, but those assaults have intensified under Trump, with almost daily strikes in the past month. Trump has vowed that military action would continue until the Huthis are no longer a threat to shipping.