US President Donald Trump has called on several other countries to send ships to the Middle East to open the Strait of Hormuz and ease the global oil supply disruptions brought on by his war in Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical but narrow waterway in the Gulf region through which ships carrying one-fifth of the world’s oil supply pass. It has all but shut due to the war in Iran.
Trump today declared he has “beaten and completely decimated Iran, both militarily, economically, and in every other way”, but in the same breath asked countries to help secure the 39-kilometre-wide passage.
“We have already destroyed 100 per cent of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are,” he said in a Truth Social post.
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated.
“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. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
The US will be coordinating with affected countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
It comes just a day after the US bombed Kharg Island – Iran’s coral outcrop that produces 90 per cent of the country’s oil supply, or 950 million barrels, each year.
Trump said he has only struck military targets and left oil infrastructure unharmed, but warned that he will “immediately reconsider” if ships are not allowed to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
In response to the call to help, the UK Defence Ministry said: “We are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
France is also trying to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin told France24 that “there is no question of sending any vessels” to the area.
The Strait of Hormuz carries oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran to markets in Asia, including Iran’s main customer, China.
While there are limited options for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to avoid the passage, most have no alternate route.
The Islamic regime has vowed to block the region’s oil exports, saying it would not allow “even a single litre” to be shipped to its enemies.
The Strait of Hormuz’s closure has disrupted oil supply across the world, causing prices to surge to $US100 per barrel.
Fuel prices are feared to only increase, with prices at the pump exceeding $2 across Australia.
The International Energy Agency has agreed to the largest release of 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency reserves in history due to the supply disruptions on the Strait of Hormuz.
Australia, which imports 90 per cent of its oil, has also released 20 per cent of its petrol and diesel stock to help areas experiencing low supply.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen this week confirmed the country has 1.6 billion litres of petrol, 2.7 billion litres of diesel and 800 million litres of jet fuel available – translating to 37 days’ worth of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 29 days of jet fuel.
Political scientist Simon Jackson said Australia is at the end of the fuel supply chain and suggested there could be more pain.
“The game theory element of this is Iran could be holding back, digging in for protracted conflict, because the longer that they can make this thing go, the more pain comes onto the West through what’s happening,” he told Today.
– With Associated Press