US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged the possibility of using military force to ensure "freedom of navigation" in the Panama Canal.
"I don't want to talk about what we can or can't do. Strategic uncertainty is a big problem, but we will have freedom of navigation in the Panama Canal, whether it is related to the Department of Defense or not", he said on Fox News on Wednesday in response to a question about whether Washington intends to use military force.
“And if the Panamanian authorities do not provide free and unhindered access, then we have the right, we reserve the right to do whatever is necessary to ensure free navigation in the Panama Canal“, the Pentagon chief added.
In his inauguration speech on January 20, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to “take back“ the Panama Canal. Previously, he has repeatedly said that Washington must regain control of it, criticizing high tariffs, emphasizing that the transfer of control of the facility in 1999 was a “gesture of cooperation”, and not a concession to other countries.
Panama President Jose Raul Mulino noted that sovereignty over the canal and the country's independence cannot be subject to negotiations. As Politico reported on January 10, Mulino may decide to appeal to the UN Security Council if Trump does not stop pressuring his country about the Panama Canal.
The ship canal, which opened in 1914, was built and controlled by the United States. In 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaty established a phased transfer of the canal to Panama, which was completed in 1999. The agreement provided for the neutral status of the canal and its accessibility in the interests of world trade. Today, it remains a vital route in the global economy and one of the key areas of interest for the United States.