Washington: US President Donald Trump Saturday urged nations affected by Tehran’s “attempted closure” of the Hormuz Strait to send ships to secure the narrow shipping lane crucial for global oil supplies as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a post of Truth Social, Trump urged countries such as China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others to send ships to the Hormuz Strait, asserting that the US will continue to bomb the shoreline and target Iranian ships and boats.
Starting February 28, the US and Israel have launched a massive joint attack on Iran and with Iran’s retaliation, it has extended to the entire Gulf region. Iranian strikes in Hormuz have affected maritime traffic in the strait, which is crucial for global supply chains for crude and oil.
“Many countries, especially those that are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” the US President said in his social media post.
However, it was not clear if there was any formal arrangement regarding this or if it was the president who wanted it to happen.
Trump claimed that the US has already destroyed 100 per cent 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.
“Hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat from a nation that has been totally decapitated,” he said.
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE,” Trump said.
Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran has virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
The region has been a major source of India’s energy procurement.
In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that two Indian ships, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are now headed to ports in India, and added that several of India’s ships remained in the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, the US Friday issued an order to clear the decks for a company operating off the California coast to restart an oil pipeline that state officials have kept offline since 2015.
“Today, more than 60 per cent of the oil refined in California comes from overseas, with a significant share travelling through the Strait of Hormuz – presenting serious national security threats,” the Department of Energy announced.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement that the move would “strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defence, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.”
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Democratic leader and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of using the Iran war to open California’s beaches for his oil industry friends.
“Donald Trump started a war, admitted it would spike gas prices nationwide, told Americans it was a small price to pay, and now he’s using this crisis of his own making to attempt what he’s wanted to do for years: open California’s coast for his oil industry friends so they can poison our beaches,” Newsom said in a statement.
The Democrat leader called the attempt to restart the pipeline illegal and said that it “wouldn’t lower prices by a cent” due to the fact that oil prices are set on the global marketplace.
