US President Donald Trump said yesterday that many countries would send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping.
He said that he hoped that China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would send vessels to the area.
“Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water,” he wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether any countries had agreed to send ships.
Western nations have bolstered their military presence in the eastern Mediterranean during the conflict in Iran, focusing on the security of Cyprus after an Iranian-made drone hit a British military base on the island on March 2.
Britain is also exploring additional options for deployments to the Gulf after Iran stepped up attacks on vessels, defence minister John Healey said.
The British government is talking to allies and partners about “a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson said yesterday.
The French Navy is deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support to allies threatened by the conflict.
France has been consulting with European, Asian and Gulf Arab states over the past week with a view to putting together a plan for warships eventually to escort tankers through the strait, French officials said.
Trump’s administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war, according to sources. Iran, for its part, has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end.
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