By Amjad Qaimkhani
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday called on other nations to join Washington in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow but strategically vital waterway that channels a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
The appeal came amid rising tensions in the Middle East, where Iranian strikes have effectively brought maritime traffic in the strait to a standstill. At its narrowest point, the strait measures just 54 kilometers, making it particularly vulnerable to disruption.
Trump, speaking through his social media platform Truth Social, emphasized that the United States would soon begin escorting tankers through the strait, but he framed the effort as a multilateral responsibility.
“Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the strait open and safe,” he wrote, naming China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom as potential partners in the operation.
The president claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been largely neutralized but acknowledged that the country retained the capacity to strike the waterway using drones, mines, or short-range missiles. He painted a stark picture of the US response, asserting that American forces would “bomb the hell out of the shoreline” and continuously target Iranian vessels to ensure the strait remained navigable. The comments followed a week of surging oil prices and growing concern in international markets over energy security.
