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The senior strategic analyst of Fox News, General Jack Keane (ret.) On efforts to negotiate a high fire between Russia and Ukraine, warning Iran of a “strong” response to any US attack and China’s participation in the sale of ports of the Panama Canal.
President Donald Trump He is making the background for free access of the United States to two of the most vital shipping lanes in the world, a movement that could save US companies hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Publishing in Truth Social Saturday, Trump declared: “American ships, both military and commercial, should be able to travel, without charge, through the channels of Panama and Suez! Those channels would not exist without the United States of America.”
“I have asked the Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take care of this situation!”
The Panama Canal only handles approximately 14,000 transits per year, according to the Panama Canal Authority.
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In fiscal year 2023, it generated approximately $ 3.3 billion in toll income, with US ships. UU. They report approximately 70% of the total channel traffic, according to the data of the United States Transport Department.
American chargers, including companies such as Maersk (American branch), MSC and the main energy exporters, are some of the largest customers on the channel.
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A cargo and tugboat sail through the Cocoli locks on the Panama Canal, in Panama, on August 12, 2024. (Arnuflo Franco / AFP through Getty Images / Getty Images)
On average, it costs a commercial boat between $ 200,000 and $ 450,000 to cross the Panama Canal, depending on the size and load of the ship, according to the channel authority prices schedules. In some cases, such as liquefied natural gas carriers, tolls can reach more than $ 500,000 per transit.
The Suez channel, meanwhile, charges similar rates. The Suez Canal Authority of Egypt reported $ 9.4 billion in revenues in 2023, a historical maximum, strongly fed by US and European shipping amid interruptions of the Red Sea.
At the beginning of 2025, after a wave of drone attacks and huti missiles in the Red Sea shipping lanes, Trump authorized a sustained campaign of fire pumps aimed at Houthi missile sites, radar facilities and drone throwing platforms throughout Northern Yemen.
A cargo ship travels on the Suez Canal in the province of Ismail, Egypt, January 13, 2024. (Ahmed rubber / xinhua through Getty images / getty images)
The US Air Forces and Naval forces have carried out dozens of precision attacks to neutralize Houthi’s capabilities, and Pentagon officials indicate that the objective is to “permanently restore freedom of navigation” for commercial shipment that is directed towards the Suez channel.
Trump has framed strikes as part of a broader effort to retreat against Iranian influence throughout the region.
In Central America, Trump’s impulse for the free passage occurs when his administration moves to underpin security around the Panama Canal against Chinese influence.
On April 9, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, announced an expanded association of Panama to ensure the channel and signed a memorandum of understanding that includes a plan for US war ships and support ships to move “first and free” through the river route.
“The Panama Canal is a key land that must be insured by Panama, with the United States and not China,” Hegseth said at a press conference in Panama City.
Aerial view of the Panama Canal in the area of Pedro Miguel Locks, in Panama City. (Luis Acosta / AFP through Getty Images / Getty Images)
American commercial shipping interests have for a long time on the Panama Canal, which cuts almost 8,000 miles from the shipping route between the east coast of the United States and Asia. About 40% of all US containers traffic. Uu. Use the channel every year, according to the United States maritime administration.
Historically, the United States built and controlled the Panama Canal after a monumental construction effort led by President Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of the 20th century. After the independence of Panama, and backed by US military support in 1903, the United States assured the rights to build and operate the channel under the treaty of Hay-Bunau-Varilla.
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The channel opened in 1914, becoming an important symbol of the US economic and technological force. The control of the United States ended in 1999 under Torrijos-Carter treaties, but the river route is still essential for US commercial flows.
In addition to military and strategic implications, Trump’s proposal could offer direct financial benefits to US companies, particularly in the energy, agriculture and manufacturing sectors that depend largely on maritime exports and imports.
It remains to be seen if the Secretary of State Marco Rubio will seek Trump’s directive through diplomacy, economic pressure or future agreements with Panama and Egypt.
