US President Donald Trump criticised multiple allied countries for not stepping forward to assist in protecting the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel for global energy transport.
“They should not only be thanking us, but they should be helping us,” he emphasised. “China, as an example, should be thanking us.”
“Japan gets 95 per cent, China 91 per cent. Many of the countries, South Korea gets a tremendous percentage of their oil and their — therefore, their energy from the straits,” he further added.
The US President stated that while a few nations extended support, several others fell short of expectations. He noted that some countries appeared more willing to engage only after the United States had already acted.
Trump also criticised the United Kingdom, referring to a discussion with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about providing naval assistance.
“It would be really helpful if you’d send over a couple of ships, and if you have some minesweepers, which they do, that would be very helpful,” he stated.
Revisiting his concerns regarding NATO, Trump argued, “I always said, you know, the problem with NATO is we’ll always be there for them, but they’ll never be there for us.”
“We defend all these countries, and then, do you have any minesweepers? And they say, well, would it be possible for us not to get involved?” he added.
Although he acknowledged that there was no confirmed deployment of mines, Trump cautioned that even the threat could unsettle shipping operations and affect vessels carrying high-value cargo.
Trump recognised that certain countries had shown a strong willingness to assist, though he did not identify them.
“There have been some that were right up there,” he mentioned.
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