Trump Says France May Assist in Hormuz Strait Operations, Criticizes UK's Cold Response

U.S. President Trump said on Monday that the U.S. is urging allies to assist in protecting and reopening the Hormuz Strait passage, but at the same time emphasized that the U.S. does not necessarily need foreign help, and said this move was in a way also to "see how countries react."

He said the U.S. is pushing for a multinational cooperation operation to protect shipping and restore the navigational safety of the Hormuz Strait. This narrow strait connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is one of the most important energy transportation routes in the world, with a large amount of Middle Eastern oil exports passing through here. Trump publicly criticized some allies for lacking "enthusiasm" for the operation, specifically pointing out the UK's cold response, and said France may join the relevant action, while hinting that some countries highly dependent on Middle Eastern oil should take more responsibility.

When talking about the participation of allies, Trump said several countries have informed Washington that they are ready to join the relevant action, but he temporarily refused to disclose the specific list. He said, "Many countries told me they are coming." Trump also said that Secretary of State Rubio might announce the participating countries later.

Trump also said that his reason for asking other countries to join is not entirely because the U.S. needs assistance. He said the U.S. has the strongest army in the world and can complete the task independently, but he wants to "see how countries respond" through this matter.

"We are the strongest country in the world, we don't need anyone," Trump said, "but I make this request sometimes to see how they will react. I have been saying for years that if one day we really need them, some countries may not show up."

When asked by reporters, Trump revealed that he had a phone call with French President Macron on Sunday to discuss establishing a multinational mechanism to protect the Hormuz Strait. He said he believes France will provide assistance. "I think he will help us," Trump said, "I talked to him yesterday."

When asked how he would rate Macron's performance, Trump joked in a grading manner: "If I rate from zero to ten, I would give him eight. Not perfect, but after all, it's France." Previously, Macron had said that France is studying an international mission with allies to assist in restoring the safety of the strait after the intensity of military conflicts decreases. He also called the Iranian president and urged Iran to stop attacking regional countries.

Unlike his relatively positive assessment of France, Trump's attitude toward the UK was more severe. In his speech, he again criticized UK Prime Minister Starmer, accusing London of being unenthusiastic when the U.S. requested military support. Trump revealed that he had asked the UK to send two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but the UK did not agree immediately.

"I am not happy with the UK," Trump said, "I told them you are our oldest ally. We have spent a lot of money on NATO to protect you." Trump said he was dissatisfied with the UK's willingness to deploy aircraft carriers only after the hostilities had largely ended. "I said, I don't need them after the war, I need them before the war."

Despite this, Trump still said he believed the UK would eventually participate in the action, but he emphasized that allies should show more enthusiasm. "I think they may participate, but they should be more enthusiastic," Trump said.

He said the U.S. has provided security guarantees to allies for many years through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but other countries often do not show enough initiative in taking responsibility. "We have been protecting these countries for many years," Trump said, "in fact, NATO is us." Trump used Russian President Putin as an example, claiming that Russia truly fears the U.S. rather than Europe. "Putin fears the U.S., he has no fear of Europe," Trump said.

Aside from European allies, Trump also pointed the finger at Asia's major energy importers. He specifically mentioned Japan, pointing out that Japan's reliance on the Hormuz Strait passage is much higher than that of the U.S. Trump said that about 95% of Japan's oil imports also rely on this passage.

"For many years, we have been protecting this passage, and we actually don't need it ourselves," Trump said. He said the U.S. has significantly increased domestic oil production in recent years, and its dependence on Middle Eastern oil has greatly decreased. "We almost don't get oil from there, we have the most oil resources in the world," Trump said. He said that the U.S. maintaining the safety of the Hormuz Strait shipping route is largely for allies and the global energy market.

Since February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, the conflict between Iran and the West has escalated sharply, and the security situation in the Hormuz Strait has rapidly deteriorated. Recently, several oil tankers and cargo ships have been attacked, and some reports indicate that Iran has deployed mines in the strait, causing several shipping companies to suspend passage, increasing tension in the global energy market.

Trump said the U.S. military is strongly striking actions that threaten commercial shipping by Iran. He claimed that the U.S. has attacked about 7,000 military targets inside Iran and said Iran's military capabilities have been "destroyed." He also warned that the U.S. still retains the ability to take action against Iran's key oil facilities, including the important export facility Halq Island oil depot in the Persian Gulf.

Although the U.S. claims to have gained a military advantage, shipping companies remain highly vigilant about the Hormuz Strait. Trump pointed out that many ship owners are still unwilling to let large oil tankers pass through the area. "They don't want to take the risk," Trump said, "those oil tankers are very expensive."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859849362319360/

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