Donald Trump has sought support from countries that rely on the Strait of Hormuz for their security and has asked them to send warships in the region as the conflict between the US and Iran has put the world’s most important oil route under pressure.
The US President made the request in two tweets on Saturday and asked countries that depend on the strait for oil supplies to take more responsibility for its security as the US has pledged support for the effort.
The countries that Trump has named include China, UK, France, Japan and South Korea.
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The request demonstrates how drastically the economic effects of the war have expanded.
Approximately one fifth of the world’s oil and seaborne liquefied natural gas are typically transported across the strait between Iran and Oman.
Although 22 Indian ships are still stuck west of the passage, Indian officials said on Saturday that Tehran had made a rare exception for some Indian ships.
Trump’s most recent request also highlights how difficult it is now for Washington to manage the oil shock on its own.
After the war drove oil prices to their highest levels since 2022, Reuters reported last week that the administration was considering measures like ship escorts, emergency crude releases and sanctions relief to cool prices.
Trump stated on March 9 that certain oil related sanctions would be removed until the strait reopened, but he did not name the nations that would gain.
The military environment is still unstable. On Friday, US forces attacked military installations on Kharg Island, which serves as the hub for roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports.
Even though non Iranian traffic through Hormuz has drastically decreased, Iran has maintained some of its own crude trade and Iranian officials have warned that attacks on the nation’s oil and energy facilities.
That would result in retaliation against regional assets connected to Washington-affiliated businesses.
As of right now, Trump’s appeal appears to be more of a plea than a coalition strategy.
The war moves into its third week, the White House has not confirmed whether any government has agreed to send ships, leaving the task of keeping oil moving unresolved.
