President Donald Trump said that responsibility for securing and guarding the Strait of Hormuz would have to lie with the other countries that use it, with the United States only helping.
In a Friday post on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. was “getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran.”
The administration’s objectives included: Degrading Iran’s missile capabilities, destroying Iran’s defense industrial base, eliminating the Iranian navy, air force, and anti-aircraft weaponry, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and protecting U.S. allies in the Middle East. Trump didn’t list securing the Strait of Hormuz as one of the U.S.’s objectives, saying that responsibility falls upon other countries.
“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them,” he said.
Trump didn’t specify what he meant by “Nations who use it,” with this possibly referring to the countries bordering the strait, or countries that are reliant on it for a substantial amount of revenue. If he meant the latter, he could have had in mind a coalition of numerous European and Asian countries, which have all been disproportionately affected by the strait’s closure.
Europe has been particularly affected by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz due to its increasing reliance on liquefied natural gas from Qatar. It leaned heavily into this supply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hoping to reduce its reliance on Russian energy imports. Iranian missile and drone attacks have wiped out nearly one-fifth of Qatar’s LNG production and left the rest unable to be exported.
Southeast Asia has been equally affected, with some industries across the region grinding to a halt over the cutoff of oil and gas imports.
UK, FRANCE, JAPAN, GERMANY, AND OTHERS VOICE READINESS TO CONTRIBUTE TO SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Trump’s effort to draw more countries into contributing to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has begun gaining traction in recent days. On Thursday, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands voiced their joint readiness to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The following day, another 14 countries signed on to the joint statement.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” the statement said.
