President Trump says other countries will have to help break Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz eventually because they rely on the waterway for their energy far more than the U.S. does.
“We don’t use the strait, the United States. We don’t need it,” Mr. Trump said as he departed the White House Friday for Florida. “Europe needs it – Korea, Japan, China. They’ll have to get involved a little bit on that one.”
“It would be nice if those countries would get involved,” he said.
Mr. Trump decided to join forces with Israel and launch the operation against Iran on Feb. 28 because he wanted to dismantle Iran’s missile program, stop it from getting a nuclear weapon and end Tehran’s support for terror proxies in the Middle East.
Iran retaliated by striking oil-rich Gulf countries and closing down the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, was trading at over $100 per barrel on Thursday.
The national average price of a gallon of gas hit $3.90 on Friday, up from less than $3 a month ago.
For days, Mr. Trump has bemoaned the lack of cooperation by European and Asian allies in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He says the U.S. supports them in times of need and would appreciate assistance with the Iran effort.
The U.S. partner in the war, Israel, has been hitting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon very hard and struck part of a vital Iranian gas field without cooperation from the U.S. in recent days, prompting questions about whether the countries have separate goals.
Mr. Trump said he thinks Israel will be ready to end the war when the U.S. does, however.
“I think so, yeah,” Mr. Trump said. “The relationship’s a very good one.”
