Trump demands UK and other nations send ships to Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump has called on countries including the UK to send vessels to the Strait of Hormuz to protect the global oil trade.
The US president claimed oil tankers could still be targeted by Iranian forces despite insisting the US had destroyed ‘100% of Iran’s military capability’.
In a post shared on his Truth Social platform, Trump urged five countries, including China and France, to send military ships to the strait to help get oil supplies safely flowing through the critical chokepoint.
He wrote: ‘Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.
‘Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area.’
Oil trade through the critical stretch, which spans just 35 miles at its widest point, has been crippled by Iranian strikes.
The strait normally handles a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
When asked, Trump promised on Friday that US navy ships would soon start escorting vessels through the targeted patch, conceding that Iran was still able to severely disrupt shipping in the strait despite its depleted military force.
‘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’, the president said.
But he remained defiant that he would get the strait ‘open, safe and free’.
In his first public statement this week, Iran’s new supreme leader Motjaba Khamenei vowed to continue targeting vessels on the body of water as a means of keeping pressure on the US.
The UK has repeatedly come under stinging criticism from Trump for failing to join the US campaign in the Middle East, which entered its third week on Saturday.
Britain is sending warship HMS Dragon to protect RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the base was hit by a drone attack.
However the vessel would not reach the Mediterranean island until at least a week after it sets sail from Portsmouth.
British counter drone forces have shot down overnight attacks as part of efforts to protect military bases in Qatar, Cyprus, Bahrain and the UAE.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: ‘As we’ve said
previously, we are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.’
It comes as Trump threatened to strike oil facilities the island of Kharg if the blockade on the strait was not lifted soon.
The coral island is one of Iran’s most valuable assets and handles nearly all of the country’s oil exports.
The US president wrote on Friday: ‘For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island.
‘However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.’
Until now the US has only targeted military assets on the island, however experts say destroying key infrastructure would likely cripple Iran’s regime.
Petras Katinas, an energy researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, said it would be difficult for Iran’s government as well as any potential successor regime to function if it lost control of Kharg.
The Strait of Hormuz blockade has caused ripple effects across the world as government’s grapple to mitigate the impacts of soaring oil costs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves indicated the government could provide additional help for households reliant on heating oil, suggesting that ministers were working on a package that could be unveiled as soon as next week.
She told the Times: ‘I have found the money and we’ve worked through with MPs and others a response for people who are not protected by the energy price cap.
‘We’re giving greater support to those who really need it.’
The majority of British homes will be protected from any hikes until June, when a cap on gas and electricity prices fixed by Ofcom comes up for review.
However 1.5million heating oil-reliant homes are already bearing the brunt of the war, which has seen the price per litre double since the beginning of the crisis.
Ms Reeves said ministers were considering a range of options but played down the prospect of a blanket bailout for all households, insisting that, even in times of crisis, discipline was needed with public finances.
She said: ‘We are working through different scenarios at the moment and I don’t want to suggest that we’re going to do something that we know we’re not able to deliver.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.