US president urges oil-dependent nations to help police the Strait of Hormuz, warning Donald Trump says Iran is “begging for a deal” as tensions escalate over maritime security in the Gulf
By Amjad Qaimkhani
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has launched a diplomatic blitz to assemble an international naval coalition to patrol the Strait of Hormuz, revealing he has approached “about seven” nations – including China – to share the burden of protecting the world’s most critical oil waterway.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida, the US president said he had personally asked Beijing whether it would be willing to participate. “I asked China, ‘Would you like to come in?’ And we’ll see what they decide,” Trump said, noting that Beijing is heavily reliant on the strait for its energy imports.
Trump declined to name the other countries he has approached, but made clear that Nato members and other nations that depend on Gulf energy supplies should be doing more to defend their own interests. “I’ve told my counterparts: if they don’t help, we’ll remember,” he said. “Some of them have minesweepers, some have a certain type of boat that can really help us.”
The overture follows a social media post on Saturday in which Trump named China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK as countries he hoped would send warships to the region to ensure Iran does not “create havoc”.
Initial responses have been cautious. A British Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “As we have said previously, we are discussing a range of options with our allies and partners to ensure shipping is protected in the region.” China’s embassy in Washington told CNN that Beijing calls for an immediate ceasefire and that “ensuring the stable and uninterrupted supply of energy is the responsibility of all parties”. It did not confirm whether China would join the coalition.
Trump also repeated his assertion that Tehran is “begging for a deal”. Asked whether he was preparing to declare victory against Iran, he said: “We’ve hurt them very badly. If we left them alone now, it would take them 10 years to rebuild.”
The push for a multinational force comes amid heightened fears that Iran could target shipping or undersea infrastructure in the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Tehran has not officially responded to Trump’s latest remarks, but has previously warned it would treat any foreign military presence in the Gulf as a threat to its national security.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow choke point between Iran and Oman, has been the scene of several tanker seizures and drone attacks in recent years, and remains the most likely flashpoint for any broader conflict between Washington and Tehran.
