Trump says countries affected by Hormuz disruption should send warships

President Trump said countries that rely on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz should send warships alongside the United States to help keep the vital waterway open, as traffic through the strait remains heavily disrupted during the conflict with Iran.

In social media posts on Saturday, Trump said the United States would coordinate with other countries affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the strait, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and handles a large share of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Trump named China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom as countries that should take part.

“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,” Trump said.

In a second post, Trump said the United States had “completely decimated” Iran and said keeping the strait open “should have always been a team effort.” He said Washington would help coordinate with other countries so the route could reopen quickly.

Trump’s comments came a day after he said the United States had bombed military installations on Kharg, an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf that serves as a key oil export hub. He warned Friday that Kharg’s oil facilities could be targeted next if Iran keeps blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Reuters, United Nations data shows traffic through the waterway has fallen by 97% since the war against Iran began on Feb. 28.

Reuters also reported, citing regional sources, that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had long prepared for a direct confrontation with Israel and the United States and activated its plan after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the war.

According to the report, Iranian planners recognized they could not match superior military forces directly and instead aimed to squeeze oil flows and carry out asymmetric attacks on U.S. assets across the region.