Trump Calls for Global Effort to Secure Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has called for global cooperation to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open to navigation at all times. He emphasized that nations reliant on oil transported through the vital waterway should participate in defending it and securing its passage. Trump also urged NATO and China to contribute to efforts to reopen and safeguard the strait.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 14, Trump stated the United States does not directly benefit from the Strait of Hormuz, but would assist countries willing to work towards its reopening. He also asserted that military operations in Iran were “progressing wonderfully.”

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that U.S. And Israeli officials believe Iran’s capacity to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz and escalate the conflict is greater than previously assessed.

According to the report, Trump, during a meeting at the White House last week, pressed General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a swift resolution to the situation, expressing frustration at the lack of immediate progress.

The New York Times quoted the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying, “It takes only one Iranian soldier or proxy militia member in a fast boat to launch a mobile missile at a slow-moving oil tanker, or to attach a limpet mine to its hull.”

U.S. Administration officials indicated that escorting commercial vessels through the strait could take weeks, requiring the deployment of additional ships and defensive equipment, as well as further strikes against Iranian weaponry that threatens the waterway.

Israeli Disregard

The New York Times also reported, citing informed sources, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disregarded advice from Trump and the U.S. Central Command, authorizing strikes against oil storage facilities inside Iran.

A White House official said the Israeli assessment presumed that burning oil tanks would create chaos within Iranian leadership, but the result was an increase in Iranian drone strikes on oil refining and storage facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

International Caution Regarding Trump’s Call

Trump’s call for several nations not involved in the U.S.-Israeli action against Iran to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz met with cautious responses internationally.

The Financial Times reported that the U.S. President warned that NATO faces a exceptionally bleak future if it fails to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ensure the security of navigation.

Trump said the United States didn’t have to help NATO in Ukraine, but it did, adding, “Now we’ll see if they help us.”

In remarks to the newspaper, Trump called on Washington’s allies to send minesweepers to participate in securing the waterway, noting that Europe possesses a large number of them.

Trump added, “We expect China to help open the Strait of Hormuz because they get 90% of their oil from that strait.”

Trump had urged, via a social media post on Saturday, China, Britain, France, Japan, and South Korea to join efforts to secure the strait, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Key responses included:

• Britain: Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said London is considering all options and is in talks with allies, emphasizing the importance of reopening the strait, but stressed in an interview with the BBC that the best and simplest way is to de-escalate.
• Japan: A senior Japanese official warned of “serious obstacles” to any decision to deploy warships due to constitutional restrictions. Takayuki Kobayashi, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council, said the country must exercise caution. The matter may be discussed during the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Sanae Takai and Trump in Washington.
• South Korea: The office of President Lee Jae-myung announced it will maintain close communication with the United States without making specific commitments.
• China: Beijing, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, has not issued a public response, but previously called for a cessation of hostilities.
• France: No official position has been announced, although President Emmanuel Macron expressed his government’s willingness to apply naval forces to escort ships, provided the conflict stabilizes. Macron said he informed Iranian President Masoud Pezhkian of the need to guarantee freedom of navigation and reopen the strait.

Economic Pressures

As oil prices approach $100 a barrel and insurance premiums for ships transiting the Gulf rise, the New York Times warned that further scenes of burning tankers could give the Iranians a “halo of strength” beyond their reality.

The newspaper noted that tanker owners have already begun to avoid the risk, ignoring Trump’s call via Fox News to reveal some courage.

The U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran has caused a near-total halt to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz – approximately 55 kilometers wide between Iran and Oman – through which typically passes about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas.