The United States will stop providing $4 billion in aid each year to Israel in 2027 while continuing to sell military hardware to the country, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.Trump made the remarks during a phone call with Fox News Channel on Election Day for the US midterm elections. He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him about the proposal and that the two leaders had been discussing it for a couple of years.Trump argued that Israel no longer needed the assistance and that the spending was costly for the United States. He also said US aid to Israel had become a talking point for Democratic candidates, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.“You can consider it barter. You can consider military aid or cash,” Trump said. “Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don’t need it. And I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we’ve been talking about it for a couple of years because it’s a lot of money.”There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office, news agency Associated Press reported.The announcement points to a proposed shift in the way Washington supports Israel—from annual assistance to arms sales, though Trump did not provide further details about how the arrangement would work.Trump jokes: ‘I’ll move to Israel and become prime minister’“My approval rating in Israel is 99 per cent. If people in the United States get fed up with me, I’ll move to Israel and become prime minister.” Trump said this jokingly in the interview.Story continues below this adTrump had earlier joked that he could move to Israel and run for prime minister, claiming he had overwhelming support in the country.US military support to IsraelThe United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel in recent years.An academic study published in 2025 estimated that the administrations of former president Joe Biden and Trump provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel after the Gaza war began in 2023. The study was published on the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that triggered the conflict.A separate study by the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs estimated that the US spent roughly $10 billion more on security aid and military operations elsewhere in the Middle East over the preceding two years.Story continues below this adThe studies relied largely on open-source material and offered some of the most comprehensive estimates of US military aid to Israel and the costs of direct American military involvement in the region, the AP reported.US strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island amid diplomatic effortsThe announcement comes as the United States carries out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.Express InfoGenIE · Iran warWhy Qeshm Island mattersIran’s biggest island sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, the route for a fifth of the world’s oil. Tap the map points and cards.As of Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026. The Qeshm strikes are a developing story. Ship positions on the map are illustrative, not live tracking. PersianGulfGulf ofOmanIRANOMANUAEOMAN Bandar AbbasQeshmStrait of Hormuz Ships on the lanes (illustrative) Qeshm Island Strait of Hormuz Tap a map pointQeshm IslandStrait of HormuzPersian GulfGulf of OmanShipping routeQeshm IslandIran’s Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf (Britannica). It runs parallel to Iran’s coast, separated from the mainland by the narrow Clarence Strait, and sits beside Bandar Abbas at the western mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, overlooking the shipping lanes.Strait of HormuzThe only sea passage between the Persian Gulf and the open ocean. About 34 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest; ships use one inbound and one outbound lane, each about 3 km (two miles) wide, with a buffer between them (US Energy Information Administration).Persian GulfHome to the oil and gas exporters of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Iran. For Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar, Hormuz is the only sea route out to world markets.Gulf of OmanOpen water beyond the strait, leading to the Arabian Sea and on to Asia. The UAE’s bypass pipeline ends at Fujairah on this coast, letting some oil skip Hormuz.Shipping routeTankers and cargo ships thread the lanes between Iran’s islands and Oman’s Musandam peninsula. IMF PortWatch counted about 89 transits a day in February 2026; in March, after the war began, it was under 5 (as reported by EnergyNewsBeat, Sep 19). Tap a card to see why it matters 1Qeshm’s location 2Shipping security 3Oil and gasStrategic locationWhy Qeshm sits at the centre of the storyQeshm lies just inside the Persian Gulf at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, along Iran’s coast and beside Bandar Abbas. From its southern shore, the inbound and outbound shipping lanes run close by on their way through the strait.No. 1largest island in the Persian Gulf (Britannica)34 kmwidth of the strait at its narrowest (US EIA)3 kmwidth of each shipping lane (US EIA)Nov 2explosions reported on the island (IRNA)One US official described the strikes as “defensive measures against Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets”, The Jerusalem Post reported. Another said they appeared limited and were not a return to major combat.Shipping securityWhy the conflict keeps coming back to shipsSince the US-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb 28, traffic through the strait has collapsed and recovered in waves as ships were attacked and the US imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.Feb 2026, before the war89Mar 20265Apr 20269May 20267Average daily transits through the strait, IMF PortWatch, as reported by EnergyNewsBeat (Sep 19).30+incidents in October, the most in any month of the war (UKMTO)145incidents recorded since Feb 28 (UKMTO)10,000+US personnel enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports (US Central Command)95%of ships in recent months crossed safely, Central Command saysUKMTO and Central Command figures as reported by The National, Oct 31. UKMTO counts only incidents reported by verified vessels.Oil and gasHow disruption in Hormuz reaches the world20mbarrels a day of crude and products passed through in 202525%of world seaborne oil trade~20%of global LNG trade, mostly from Qatar80%of the oil was bound for Asia; nearly 90% of the LNGInternational Energy Agency, figures for 2025.2025 average20mMar–May 20262.7mAug 20267.6mOil through Hormuz, barrels a day. War-time figures: averages for March to May, and the IEA’s August estimate, as reported by EnergyNewsBeat (Sep 19).Pipelines that bypass the strait can carry only part of the volume: the IEA estimates 3.5 to 5.5 million barrels a day of spare capacity, mainly Saudi Arabia’s East-West line to the Red Sea and the UAE’s line to Fujairah. Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha DharThe strikes were described by some US officials as defensive measures aimed at preventing Iranian attacks on commercial shipping. The developments came amid diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with Tehran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has said it has a plan to reopen the waterway within two days if Washington meets its conditions. Trump has also said a deal could be reached, though no agreement has been announced.Story continues below this adThe Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping route for global energy supplies. The latest strikes and uncertainty over negotiations have renewed concerns about the risk of a wider regional conflict.(With inputs from agencies)