Trump signals US could step back from Hormuz, says ‘let the countries that use it find a solution’
Saying that the USA does not need the strait, which is an important global oil transportation route, Trump wrote on the Truth Social site that he could “let the countries that use it find a solution.”
Also Read: Trump warns to end Iran’s ‘terrorist state’ in a stern message to ‘unresponsive’ allies
Traditional European and Asian partners have rejected Trump’s repeated requests for minesweepers and other military equipment to clear the strait, which Iran has effectively blocked in response to the nearly three-week U.S.-Israeli war.
Trump responded to the Hormuz crisis with a series of contradictory statements; He both said allies should help the United States and said Tuesday that “we don’t need any help.”
His latest statement on Truth Social suggested that the US could simply give up on the situation altogether and leave other countries to deal with the aftermath.
“I wonder what happens if we ‘finish off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terrorist State and let the countries that use it (we don’t) be responsible for the so-called ‘Strait’?” This quickly mobilizes some of our unresponsive ‘Allies’!!! President DJT,” he wrote.Also Read: Mission that could end Iran war? What’s really going on behind the scenes
Iran has sought to use its dominance over narrow Hormuz as leverage against overwhelming attacks by the United States and Israel, which have so far struck thousands of targets across the country, destroyed its navy and killed senior leaders.
Although only a handful of commercial ships were hit by Iranian fire, the threat was enough to paralyze traffic and cause oil prices to rise worldwide.
The US military announced late Tuesday that it was using massive bunker-busting bombs to attack near-shore Iranian missile sites along Hormuz.
