President Trump suggests the US could leave allies to secure the Hormuz Strait alone after they refused military support against Iran.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has suggested the United States could leave its allies to secure the vital Hormuz Strait on their own.
He made the angry statement after traditional European and Asian partners refused his repeated requests for military hardware like mine sweepers to clear the waterway.
Iran has effectively choked off the crucial global oil shipping lane in response to the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the United States does not need the strait and could “let the Countries that use it” find a solution.
“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Strait?'” he wrote.
He added that such a move would get “some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast”.
Trump’s latest statement suggests the US could abandon the situation altogether, leaving other nations to deal with the aftermath.
His position on the crisis has been contradictory, having previously said allies must help the US before stating “we don’t need any help” on Tuesday.
Iran is using its grip on the narrow strait as leverage against overwhelming US and Israeli attacks that have hit thousands of targets.
Those strikes have destroyed Iran’s navy and killed its top leadership, according to reports.
Although only a handful of commercial ships have been hit by Iranian fire, the threat has paralysed traffic and caused worldwide oil price spikes.
The US military announced late Tuesday it was using huge bunker-buster bombs to attack Iranian missile sites near the coast along Hormuz.