President Donald Trump called on other nations to secure the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, hours after claiming to have destroyed “100% of Iran’s Military capability.”
The narrow sea passage in the Persian Gulf funnels nearly a fifth of the world’s oil to market, but it has been effectively closed to tanker traffic since Iran began targeting shipping at the outbreak of the war.
“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Trump said the United States would work “in conjunction” with other countries to keep the Strait “open and safe.”
“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,” he added.
Trump added that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom would also send war ships to assist in the mission, but none of those countries gave any immediate indication they would do so.
Trump’s comments come a day after the Pentagon said it had carried out a “large-scale precision strike” on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil hub, about 300 miles northwest of the Strait in the northern Persian Gulf. The island is the main export terminal for some 90% of Iran’s oil shipments.
“The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites. U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure,” U.S. Central Command said on X.
A key battleground
The Strait of Hormuz has become a key strategic battleground in the Iran war. Blocking vast amounts of oil from passing through the narrow maritime corridor has allowed Iran to impose a financial cost on the U.S. and its oil-producing Gulf allies—and the global market—giving it leverage in a war in which it has been outgunned militarily.
Trump’s threat to use force to open the Strait would remove that leverage, but it could also invite Iranian retaliatory escalation, potentially igniting an energy war that further inflames global oil markets.
Iran’s armed forces said it would respond to any attack on its oil and gas infrastructure with reciprocal attacks on Gulf allies in the region, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.
“If this happens, all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the U.S. and its allies have interests will be set on fire and destroyed,” Iran’s armed forces said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards specifically singled out the United Arab Emirates, alleging that U.S. missile attacks had originated from there.
“We declare to the leaders of the UAE that Iran considers it a legitimate right to defend its national sovereignty and territory by targeting the origin of American enemy missile launches in the shipping ports, docks, and military shelters of the U.S. hidden in some cities of the UAE,” a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said, according to Reuters.
UAE’s Ministry of Defense said nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones were launched from Iran towards the country on Saturday. Debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit the Fujairah port, an oil facility in the UAE, authorities said.
Meanwhile, some 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are reportedly on their way to the Middle East, multiple news outlets reported, citing U.S. officials.
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