Trump urges UK and other nations to send ships to help secure Strait of Hormuz after Iranian attacks

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that many countries would send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but did not provide details on which countries would do so.

“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump said he hoped that China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would send ships to the area.

“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,” he wrote.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether any countries had agreed to send ships.

Donald Trump calls on the UK and other nations to join the US in sending ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz - here's why the oil shipping lane matters

In a post on Truth Social, the US president says despite "Iran's attempted closure" of the passage, "one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"

The UK Maritime Trade Operations says 16 ships operating in and around the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz have been attacked since the war started

On Thursday, Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep blocking the strait in his first public statement

Meanwhile, strikes are continuing across the Middle East, with sirens sounding in Jerusalem after the Israeli military said it had detected new attacks from Iran

An Iranian government spokesperson says 120 schools have been "severely damaged" in the last two weeks, while a woman from Karaj says her "life is basically paralysed" and all she can think about is "survival"

President Trump’s call for allies to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open may be premature - especially as there’s no evidence that this war is ending.

The reality is that even the US Navy is currently not escorting tankers through this narrow shipping lane.

At present it appears too dangerous - with a number of tankers trying to transit already having been hit.

President Macron has said France is willing to send warships to the Gulf as "purely an escort mission". But he also said that would only be after the most "intense phase of the conflict had ended".

As well as France, Trump suggested Japan, China, South Korea and the UK could send warships to escort shipping.

Yet only last week, Trump stated that the US did not need the UK to send an aircraft carrier to the region "after we’ve already won".

The Royal Navy has two aircraft carriers. Though one of them, HMS Prince of Wales, has been placed on high readiness, she’s due to sail to the North Atlantic.

The Navy has no other warships in the region - though the destroyer HMS Dragon is now on her way to provide additional air defences for Cyprus.


Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post