President says several nations are sending warships to assist U.S. naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz, though some NATO partners have yet to commit forces.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Monday that several countries are preparing to deploy naval vessels to support a U.S.-led effort to escort commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that has become a focal point of tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking during a luncheon at the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Trump said multiple governments had informed him they were sending warships to assist the United States Navy in safeguarding vessels traveling through the narrow maritime corridor.
“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way,” Trump said. “Some are very enthusiastic about it. Some are in countries that we’ve helped for many, many years.”
The president declined to name the specific countries that had already committed ships but said formal announcements would be made soon.
“I’d rather not say yet, but we’ll be announcing,” Trump said. “I have to tell you, we have some that are really enthusiastic. They’re coming already. They’ve already started to get there. You know, it takes a little while to get there.”
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, serving as a passage for a significant portion of global oil shipments. Security concerns have intensified amid ongoing military tensions involving Iran and regional allies.
Trump expressed frustration that some NATO partners had not yet responded to requests for participation in the naval mission.
The president said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined a request to deploy two British aircraft carriers to the Arabian Sea or the eastern Mediterranean.
Trump contrasted that response with France’s involvement, saying French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed to send an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean.
“I have spoken to him. He’s been, on a scale of zero to 10, I’d say he’s been an eight,” Trump said.
According to the president, the French deployment allowed the USS Gerald R. Ford to reposition and join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea to concentrate naval resources on securing the strait.
Despite urging international cooperation, Trump said the United States is capable of conducting the escort operations on its own if necessary.
“We don’t need anybody,” he said. “We’re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world.”
The president added that part of the request for allied participation was intended to gauge how partners respond when asked to contribute to joint security efforts.
“But it’s interesting,” Trump said. “I’m almost doing it in some cases not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react. I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there — not all of them, but they won’t be there.”
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