Trump calls for countries to send warships to reopen Hormuz

US President Donald Trump stepped up calls to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, saying warships will “hopefully” be sent to the area near Iran’s coast to help commercial vessels sail through safely.

His comments on Truth Social — which didn’t provide a timeline — came hours after he ordered a strike on military sites on Kharg Island, from which Iran exports almost all its oil, upping the ante in a Middle East war that’s raged for more than two weeks and shows little sign of easing.

The president said military facilities on the Persian Gulf island had been “obliterated,” adding that he chose not to hit oil infrastructure “for reasons of decency.” He threatened to do just that should Iran “do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote in his latest post. He gave little detail beyond saying he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK would also send warships.

He stated that even though Iran’s military was “already destroyed 100%,” it was “easy” for Tehran to continue threatening ships with drones, mines and short-range missiles. The US, he said, “will be bombing the hell out of” Iran’s shoreline to try to counter that.

Around the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strait — through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies normally flow — was only shut to ships from “enemies.”

Overnight and on Saturday, Israel and the US continued striking Iran, which in turn carried on attacking Arab Gulf states.

Roughly 3,750 people have been killed across the region since the war began on Feb. 28 with a US and Israeli bombing of Iran, according to tolls from governments and non-governmental organizations. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said more than 3,000 people were killed in the last two weeks........

© Fortune