US President Donald Trump called on other world powers, including France and the United Kingdom, to help secure a vital shipping lane choked by the war with Iran, which shows no signs of slowing.
Two weeks after the US and Israel attacked Iran, the entire Gulf region remains in the grip of a conflict that has sent shockwaves through the global economy.
After earlier vowing that the US Navy would “very soon” begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump appeared to call for reinforcements.
“Many countries … will send warships, in cooperation with the United States of America, to keep the strait open and secure,” he wrote on Social Truth, saying China, France, Japan, South Korea and Great Britain would “hopefully” be among them.
Oil prices are up 40% after Iran has choked the vital Strait of Hormuz and attacked Gulf energy facilities.
US forces struck Kharg Island on Friday, from which almost all of Iran’s oil is exported, with Trump saying they had “wiped out every Military target” but spared its energy facilities.
Iran had threatened that US-linked oil and energy firms would “turn into a pile of ashes” if struck.
The Kharg attack could be a turning point, with both sides escalating the conflict in an attempt to force a surrender, Johns Hopkins University analyst Vali Nasr said on social media.
“The end is likely not to withdraw from Iran, but to ignite the Gulf.”
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