US President Donald Trump raised the prospect of intensifying military action against Iran while suggesting the United States may no longer need to bear responsibility for safeguarding one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “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?’ That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!"
The remarks come amid an escalating exchange of strikes targeting Iranian military and energy infrastructure, with Tehran responding through proxy forces and retaliatory operations across the broader West Asia.
The war-induced closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices surging by 65 per cent. Rather than deploying US and Israeli military forces to reopen the waterway, Trump has called on other nations- including NATO allies- to dispatch warships. The closure, compounded by production cuts announced by West Asian oil producers, drove crude prices to a peak of $119 a barrel from a pre-war level of $72.
Trump initially attacked British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for refusing to allow the US military to use British territories to launch strikes on Iran. When London subsequently permitted access for defensive operations, Trump declared that Washington no longer needed British assistance. Trump then called on Britain and other allies to take the lead in reopening the Strait. When they declined, he warned that NATO faced a “very bad future." He subsequently reversed course once more, returning to his earlier position that the United States needed no outside help.
What Is Strait of Hormuz And Who Protects It?
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, is the single most critical chokepoint in global energy markets. Roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply transits it daily, meaning any sustained disruption reverberates through economies far beyond the Middle East.
No formal treaty obliges the United States to police the Strait. Yet for decades, Washington has served as its de facto security guarantor- a role shaped less by legal obligation than by its strategic interest in stable global energy flows. The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, maintains a persistent presence in the region, conducting vessel escorts, mine countermeasure operations and freedom-of-navigation patrols.
European and Gulf nation navies contribute to maritime security efforts, but American forces provide the overwhelming share of operational capacity and command coordination.
Source: News18