Photo: ReutersUS President Donald Trump urged other nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after Iran threatened escalation across the Middle East to retaliate for Washington's bombing of its main Gulf island energy hub. "The Countries of the World that ​receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — ⁠A LOT!" In an earlier post on his Truth Social platform, he anticipated that many countries would send warships to allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 20% of the world's oil. Trump had threatened to strike the oil infrastructure of Kharg Island unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his slain father, has said the Strait of Hormuz should ​remain closed.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 15, 2026 01:45 UTC