US President Donald Trump on Monday said that “numerous countries” are preparing to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though he declined to identify them, citing concerns that they could be targeted.
“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way. Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years,” Trump said during his remarks at a White House event.
“We strongly encourage other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm,” Trump said, adding that he had received commitments from “a number of them.”
“I would like to say their names, but frankly, I don’t know, if they would want me to or not because they don’t want to be targeted,” he added
Pressed on which countries were joining the effort, Trump said he preferred not to disclose their names yet.
“I’d rather not say yet, but we’ll be announcing it. Marco Rubio and the various people that are doing that will be announcing,” he said.
Trump said deployments take time because some forces must travel long distances, though he noted that “some that are fairly local” are already participating.
The president also said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron, describing his support as “eight” out of 10, adding: “I think he’s gonna help.”
Trump added he expects the UK to take part, saying Washington has long protected its allies through NATO.
“I was very surprised with the United Kingdom…I said, ‘Why don’t you send some chips over?’ And he really didn’t want to do it,” he added.
Trump noted that the US imports less than 1% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, while other countries, such as Japan, China, South Korea and Europe, depend far more heavily on the waterway linking the Persian Gulf to global markets.
The strait has been at the center of global energy market concerns since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced its closure to most vessels amid US-Israeli attacks on the country that began on Feb. 28.
Before the war, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait daily. Its disruption has driven oil prices higher.
On Sunday, the US president called on China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to join what he described as a “team effort” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by sending warships, though no country has so far publicly committed to the plan.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday Britain “will not be drawn into a wider war,” stressing that sending troops must be based on a legal mandate.
Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius also ruled out sending naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz, saying such a move would risk dragging Germany into a conflict with Iran.