On Saturday, US President Donald Trump called for free transit through the Suez and Panama Canals for all US naval and merchant ships. The remarks about Panama echo his previous statements, but this is the first time that Trump has made similar demands regarding access to the Suez Canal.
In a post on social networks, Trump said that the Suez Canal, built by France and Egypt, "would not exist without the United States of America," and said that he had instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to "immediately address this situation and perpetuate its memory." These remarks have angered Egypt’s political class, but not its rulers, who have remained silent.
The Suez Canal was built by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps during the American Civil War with the support of international shareholders. The privately financed work began in 1859 and initially relied on forced labor. Despite warnings from skeptics and a significant number of casualties during construction, the canal opened in late 1869 and was an immediate commercial success. It passed into British hands in 1882, and British troops defended it from attack until Egypt nationalized it in 1956. Under the current Egyptian administration, it has been expanded and new parallel canals have been built to accommodate two-way traffic.
According to Al Jazeera, traffic from the United States accounts for about 10-20 percent of Suez Canal traffic and generates fees of $400,000-$700,000 per vessel for the Egyptian government’s Suez Canal Authority. The removal of these fees would be a significant blow to the SCA’s already stretched finances.
Egyptian commentators expressed surprise at Trump’s demand and questioned whether the canal’s existence depends on the United States, given its history of operation by France, Britain and Egypt.
“[Egypt] has renounced any military bases from the Americans, and before them from the Russians,” Egyptian MP Mahmoud Badr said in a statement on social media. “The Suez Canal was built by Egyptians with their blood, nationalized by Egyptians and protected by the Egyptian army.”
The Egyptian Civil Democracy Movement, which includes several of the country's opposition political parties, accused Trump of "lacking historical awareness"and unacceptable arrogance.”
“The Egyptian people consider the Suez Canal a red line and will never accept any encroachment on Egypt’s sovereignty and national security,” the group said in a statement. “They will follow in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers in defending the freedom and territorial integrity of their nation.”
Red Sea Security
Traffic through the Suez Canal has plummeted over the past year due to the threat posed by the Houthis in the Red Sea. In 2024, the militants carried out more than 100 attacks and caused two shipwrecks off the coast of Yemen; merchant shipping is now cautiously approaching the Suez route, and traffic through the canal has fallen by 60 percent since 2023.
The Houthis’ stated goal of a ceasefire in Gaza was briefly achieved with U.S. support in January; Israel ended that ceasefire in March, and the U.S. has launched an intensive campaign of airstrikes to disrupt the Houthis’ ability to disrupt shipping. If successful, the campaign would benefit Egypt and the Suez Canal.
While the pace of Houthis’ operations has slowed, the group still has the ability to launch drones and missiles—for now, focusing on U.S. and Israeli naval targets. The level of commercial shipping in the Red Sea remains low, and most major shipping companies have said they will wait until the fighting ends before returning their ships to the area.