TRUMP URGES NATIONS TO SEND WARSHIPS TO SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
US President Donald Trump on Saturday called on other nations to deploy ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route for global oil supplies disrupted by the ongoing Middle East war.
Trump, who has said the United States may soon begin escorting tankers through the strait, wrote on his Truth Social platform that “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.”
The US president added: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area.”
Iranian strikes have severely disrupted shipping through the strategic waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass.
At its narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz is about 54 kilometers (34 miles) wide.
With oil prices surging amid the conflict, Trump was asked on Friday when the US Navy might begin escorting tankers through the strait.
“It’ll happen soon, very soon,” he said.
In his Saturday post, Trump also claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed, while acknowledging that Tehran still has the capacity to threaten the waterway.
“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are,” he wrote.
As he pressed other countries to send naval support to the area, Trump added that “the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
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