US President Donald Trump on the 15th of March asked allied countries to form a coalition to restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, but Japan and Australia have already informed that they do not plan to send their naval ships to the Persian Gulf, writes Reuters.
The US-Israeli war against Iran is going on for the third week, and continues to cause disruptions in the global energy market. Trump insisted on the 15th of March that countries that use oil from the Persian Gulf countries have an obligation to ensure order in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is transported. It is their own territory, and it is where their energy resources come from. The US president informed that his administration has already contacted seven countries, but did not name them.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on the 16th of March that her country had no plans to send its navy to the Middle East to escort tankers. Australia, a traditional US ally, also said it had not received a request to send navy ships to the Strait of Hormuz and had no plans to do so.
Trump told the Financial Times on the 15th of March that he expected China to help restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, and that he expected it before his planned visit to Beijing in late March.
He said he might postpone the visit if China did not provide assistance,
adding that China needed to help because it gets 90% of its oil from the Persian Gulf. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on Trump’s remarks.
The US president also once again put pressure on European allies, and even announced that NATO faces a bleak future if the alliance’s members do not rush to help the Americans. European Union foreign ministers will discuss sending a small naval mission to the Middle East on the 16th of March, but do not plan to talk about expanding their role in liberating the Strait of Hormuz.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reportedly discussed the restoration of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz with Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, while South Korea has informed that it is carefully evaluating Trump’s proposal.
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