U.S President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration is in talks with seven countries about helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, calling for aid in protecting ships in the critical waterway that Tehran has mostly blocked off.
With the conflict creating turmoil across West Asia and shaking up global energy markets, Trump has insisted that nations relying heavily on oil from the Gulf have a responsibility to protect the Strait, a conduit for 20% of the world’s oil. He mentioned this weekend that he expected many nations to send warships to allow shipping through the Strait.
Discussions Ongoing
In a social media post, he stated that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump put pressure on European allies to help protect the Strait of Hormuz and threatened that NATO faces a “very bad” future if its members fail to come to Washington’s aid.
The Trump administration plans to announce that multiple countries have formed a coalition to escort ships through the narrow waterway; however, they are still in discussions on whether these operations will begin before or after hostilities end, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Foreign Ministry of China has announced that the government is in communication with “all sides” regarding the situation, and they remain firm on their stance for de-escalation of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has stated that the EU member states are set to discuss their efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
On Friday, Trump stated that the U.S. Navy would “soon” start escorting oil tankers.
Although some Iranian vessels have continued to pass and a few ships from other countries have successfully made the crossing, the passage has been effectively closed for most of the world’s tanker traffic since the U.S. and Israel first attacked on February 28th.
Iran Is Prepared To Defend Itself
U.S. officials responding to economic uncertainty over rising oil prices predicted that the war with Iran would end within weeks and that a drop in global oil prices would follow, despite Iran’s assertions that it remains “stable and strong” and ready to defend itself.
Trump has threatened more strikes on Iran’s oil export hub, Kharg Island, over the weekend and stated that he was not ready to reach a deal to end the war. On Saturday, he stated that U.S. strikes had “totally demolished” much of Kharg Island and warned of more, telling NBC News on Saturday, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
This marked a sharp escalation from Trump, who had previously mentioned that only military sites on Kharg would be targeted, and dealt a blow to diplomatic efforts to win the war.
Trump has said previously that Iran wants to negotiate, but earlier on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi disputed the claim.
“We have never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiations,” Araqchi told CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “We are ready to defend ourselves for as long as it takes.”
With crude oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel, the Trump administration officials insisted that all signs point to a relatively quick end to the conflict, possibly even in a few weeks.
(With inputs from Reuters)
