Trump Begs Other Countries to Help Him Clean Up His Mess in Iran

Just two weeks into the war that he started, Donald Trump has resorted to begging other countries for assistance in securing the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump claimed that other regions of the world—such as China—depend more on the Middle East waterway than the U.S. does, and should therefore be leading the charge in reopening the bomb-laden strait.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory. It’s the place from which they get their energy. And they should come and they should help us protect it,” Trump said. “Why are we maintaining the Hormuz Strait when it’s really there for China and many other countries? Why aren’t they doing it?”

Situated between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, the Strait of Hormuz is the single most important energy transit point in the world, funneling approximately one-fifth of all crude oil shipments. Iran began laying mines across the passageway last week, effectively sealing in the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman from the rest of the open ocean.

Trump insisted that China gets about 90 percent of its crude oil imports through the Strait of Hormuz, though analysts that spoke with CNBC disagree, noting to the business network that “Beijing has spent the past two decades diversifying energy supplies and building strategic reserves to mitigate potential disruptions.”

In 2024, the U.S. imported roughly 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day through the strait, accounting for roughly seven percent of total U.S. crude imports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, the president insisted that nations “affected by Iran’s attempted closure” of the strait would be sending warships to the area. He specifically named China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the U.K. as countries he hoped would contribute.

Nonetheless, some of America’s named allies have already rejected Trump’s plea. French President Emmanuel Macron said he would send the French navy to escort tankers, but only after the conflict stabilizes. Leaders from the U.K., Germany, Poland, and Spain have outright refused to get involved.

The U.S. president is attempting to strong-arm Beijing into the matter, openly weighing the possibility of delaying his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping if his economic adversary does not participate in his war plan, reported the Financial Times Sunday.

Trump still has yet to receive Congress’s approval for the war, or formally address the American public about the deadly conflict. In failing to do so, he has broken tradition with every other president before him.

So far, 13 U.S. soldiers have been killed in the conflict, as have more than 20 Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More than 1,200 Iranian civilians have been killed, including dozens of children at a girls’ school in the country’s south. Some 3.2 million people have been displaced as U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran have damaged more than 42,000 civilian sites, including homes, hospitals, and schools, according to Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani.