US President Donald Trump said he is “demanding” that other countries contribute to the defense of the Strait of Hormuz as it remains effectively closed to oil tankers.
“I really am demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory,” he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One, declining to name specific nations. “It’s the place from which they get their energy, and they should come and they should help us protect it.”
He added that China relies on oil transiting through the Strait of Hormuz and that Beijing should help secure the corridor.
“Why are we maintaining the Hormuz strait when it’s really there for China and many other countries? Why aren’t they doing it?” Trump said.
Trump said the US is in talks with “about seven” countries to get involved helping ships pass through the strait, declining to specify which nations are involved in the discussions.
The US president said some of the countries have minesweepers or a “certain type of boat” that could help secure the waterway for oil tankers to pass through. He added that he’d like to see that cooperation begin “immediately,” but conceded it would “take a little time.”
The Iran conflict has effectively halted trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime waterway through which — in normal times — a fifth of global oil production flows, along with a multitude of other commodities. Opening the strait to trade has become a key goal for the US president as oil prices have surpassed $100 a barrel.
In an interview earlier Sunday with the Financial Times, Trump said he could delay his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping if Beijing doesn’t help unblock the strait. He also warned in that interview that NATO would face a “very bad” future if member states fail to help in Hormuz.
