US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American military and merchant ships should be allowed free passage through the Panama and Suez Canals because "those canals would not exist without the United States of America."
"I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take care of this situation immediately," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Panama Canal crosses the narrowest part of the isthmus between North and South America, allowing ships to move faster between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
It carries about 40 percent of American container traffic each year.
The United States completed construction of the canal in the early 20th century, but in 1999, it ceded control of the strategically important waterway to Panama.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to "bring back" the canal.
Before taking office in January, he told reporters that he would not rule out the use of economic or military force to regain control of the channel, Hina recalls.
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