Summary US president wants nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday repeated his call to nations to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and appeared to criticize countries he said were not enthusiastic about providing aid.
Trump wants nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers that usually transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
"Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren't. Some are countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren't that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me." Trump said at an event at the White House.
Several US allies said on Monday they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
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Earlier, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain would not be drawn into a wider war in Iran but would work with allies on a "viable collective plan" to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz, though he acknowledged that would not be a simple task.
President Trump has heavily criticised Starmer for not initially supporting the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, and said that Britain, China, France, Japan and South Korea should send warships to the region to reopen the waterway.
Starmer told a press conference that reopening the strait was the only way to stabilise energy markets, and that he was talking to allies in Europe, the Gulf and the US on a plan to secure freedom of navigation.
