U.S. President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn after landing in Marine One on Sunday, in Washington, D.C. The President is returning to the White House after spending the weekend at his private club, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
President Donald Trump late Sunday demanded nations that rely on oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz join his coalition to police the important transit route as oil prices surge worldwide.
The American president has been seeking to cobble together a coalition of nations to protect shipping vessels in the strait located between Oman and Iran. Iran early this month announced it was closing the maritime chokepoint through which about 20% of all oil travels in response to the war launched Feb. 28 by the United States and Israel.
Iranian officials have indicated that ships connected to the United States and Israel would not be permitted to pass through the strait, while other countries are in talks with Tehran to secure safe passage.
The war has seen the price of a barrel of oil rise from an average of $71 on Feb. 27 to $104 on March 9, according to the global benchmark Brent crude oil spot price, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its March energy outlook report.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump wouldn’t name the countries his administration was speaking to about joining the coalition, but said they were in contact with about seven nations reliant on Middle Eastern oil.
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory — it’s the place from which they get their energy and they should come and they should help us protect it,” he said.
Trump argued that the United States doesn’t need to be involved as little of its oil comes through the strait, and that the United States is protecting it “almost like we do it for habit” as well as for the benefit of “some very good allies that we have in the Middle East.”
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States imported about 400,000 barrels of crude oil and condensate through the strait in the first half of last year, accounting for about 7% of U.S. crude oil and condensate imports.
He said his administration is “getting a good response” from the countries it is are speaking with, while suggesting the United States does not need their assistance though they should participate.
At least some of the nations are members of the NATO defensive alliance, he said.
“We’re always there for NATO. We’re helping them with Ukraine — it’s got an ocean between us. Doesn’t affect us, but we’ve helped them,” he said. “It’d be interesting to see what country wouldn’t help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the strait open.”
He wouldn’t state whether China was one of the countries his administration was speaking to, but said Beijing should be involved in the coalition as the strait addresses many of its energy needs. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, China, India, Japan and South Korea account for 74% of crude oil and condensate shipments through the Strait of Hormuz during the first half of last year.
“Maybe they will, maybe they won’t,” he said.
“They should come in.”
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS News’ Face the Nation that the strait was open to other countries and Iran was in talks with other nations seeking safe passage for their shipping vessels.
“This is up to our military to decide, and they have already decided to let, you know, a group of vessels belongs to different countries to pass in a safe and secure [way],” he said.
“So we provide them security to pass because we have not closed this strait.”
