Trump demands others help secure Strait of Hormuz, Japan and Australia say no plans to send ships
By Tim Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw
TOKYO/PALM BEACH, Florida, March 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s plea for a coalition to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz fell on deaf ears on Monday as allies Japan and Australia said they did not plan to send navy ships to the Middle East to escort ships through the vital waterway.
As the US-Israeli war against Iran creates turmoil in the Middle East and rattles global energy markets in its third week, Trumpon Sunday insisted that nations heavily dependent on oil from the Gulf have a responsibility to protect the strait through which 20% of the world’s energy passes.
Markets in Asia reacted cautiously; Brent crude rose more than 1% to above $104.50 a barrel, with regional stock markets mostly weakened after concerns about the risk to Middle East oil facilities and Trump’s demands for greater intervention from allies.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on his way from Florida to Washington, Trump said, “I demand that these countries come and protect their own territory, because this is their territory.” “That’s where they get their energy.”
Trump said his administration has already contacted seven countries but did not specify the names of these countries. In a social media post over the weekend, he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others would participate.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch supporter of Trump, said Monday that his country, constrained by its war-rejecting constitution, has no plans to send navy ships to escort ships in the Middle East, where it gets 95% of its oil.
In his speech to the parliament, Takaichi said, “We have not made any decisions about sending escort ships. We continue to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework.”
Australia, another key U.S. Indo-Pacific security ally that is also heavily dependent on fuels from Middle East crude, has also said it will not send naval ships to help reopen the strait.
“We know how incredibly important this is, but it’s not something that’s been asked of us or something that we’ve contributed to,” Catherine King, a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC.
TRUMP MAY POSTPONE HIS BEIJING VISIT WITHOUT CHINESE SUPPORT
Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that he expects China to help remove the obstacle in the strait before his planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the end of this month, and that he may postpone his trip if it does not provide assistance.
“I think China should help, too, because China gets 90 percent of its oil through the Straits,” Trump said. “We may be delayed,” he said, referring to his visit, if China does not offer support in the Gulf.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Trump also increased pressure on European allies to help protect the strait, warning that NATO faced a “very bad” future if its members did not come to Washington’s aid.
European Union foreign ministers will discuss supporting a small naval mission in the Middle East on Monday but are not expected to decide on expanding that mission’s role to include the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats and officials say.
A Downing Street spokesman said on Sunday that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had discussed the need to reopen the strait with Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and that South Korea would carefully examine Trump’s request.
Global air travel has been severely disrupted by the Iran war, which has closed or restricted key Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, forcing airlines to cancel thousands of flights and stranding tens of thousands of passengers.
Jet fuel supplies are also becoming a cause for concern, with authorities in Vietnam warning the country’s aviation industry to be prepared for possible flight disruptions from April after China and Thailand halted jet fuel exports due to the Iran war.
DRONES CAUSED A FIRE AND DISTURBED TRAFFIC AT DUBAI AIRPORT
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a “sick lesson” in the risks of relying on fossil fuels, according to the UN climate secretary.
“Fossil fuel dependence is destroying national security and sovereignty and replacing it with subordination and rising costs,” Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN climate change arm UNFCCC, told EU officials and government ministers at an event in Brussels on Monday.
Although some Iranian ships continue to pass and a few ships from other countries successfully make the crossing, the passage has been effectively closed to most of the world’s tanker traffic since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
Israel continued to launch attacks against Iran, as well as Lebanon and Gaza, targeting Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Hamas militants. The Israeli army said on Monday that its troops had begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah-held positions in southern Lebanon.
Drone strikes continued to threaten Gulf states on Monday, despite repeated claims by US officials that they are destroying Iran’s military capabilities.
Dubai authorities said that the fire was under control, but they temporarily suspended flights at the airport after the drone attack on the fuel depot. State media said Saudi Arabia captured 34 UAVs in its eastern region within an hour. No injuries were reported in either incident.
Responding to economic uncertainty caused by high oil prices, US officials predicted on Sunday that the war against Iran would end within weeks and a drop in energy costs, even as Iran claimed it remained “stable and strong” and was ready to defend itself.
Trump, who threatened further attacks on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, at the weekend had previously said Iran wanted to negotiate and the US was talking to Iran, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi disputed that claim earlier on Sunday.
“We never wanted a ceasefire, we never even wanted negotiations,” Araqchi told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We are ready to defend ourselves no matter how long it takes”
(Reporting by Maya Gebeily in Dubai, Emily Rose in Jerusalem and Jarrett Renshaw in Palm Beach, Florida; Additional reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Michael Perry)
