Trump said he is pressing other countries to send ships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but he did not describe any commitments he has received as oil prices rise during the war, according to the Associated Press report. Trump made the comments Sunday while answering reporters’ questions aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida, speaking as the conflict’s pressure on regional shipping and energy supplies continued to mount.
Trump said he demanded “about seven” countries send warships to help police the strategic waterway, which normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil, and he declined to list which nations he is negotiating with. He argued the shipping channel is not a U.S. necessity because of the administration’s access to oil, while adding that he wants the countries to protect “their own territory,” even though he did not say whether the administration has secured any participating governments.
The president said China gets about 90% of its oil from the strait, while the United States gets a minimal amount, and he declined to say whether China will join the effort. He also described wanting other countries to police the waterway with the United States, saying, “We’ll help,” and noted he previously appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.
Iran’s position on access to the strait also remained in the center of the exchange. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, told CBS earlier that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels and that it is up to Iran’s military to decide, the AP reported. The AP report said Araghchi added that some vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.
Araghchi also said Iran “doesn’t see any reason” to talk with Americans about ending the war, pointing to the Feb. 28 start of the fighting and describing coordinated attacks by Israel and the United States during indirect U.S.-Iran talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to the AP report. The report also said Araghchi said Tehran has “no plan to recover” the enriched uranium under rubble after U.S. and Israeli attacks last year.
Some governments publicly responded to Trump’s call without committing to action. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the importance of reopening the strait with Trump “to end the disruption to global shipping,” and Starmer also spoke with Canada’s prime minister separately, according to the AP report. The report said Trump specifically named Starmer on the flight, adding that Starmer initially declined to put British aircraft carriers “into harm’s way,” and Trump said, “Whether we get support or not, but I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember.”
Other messages reflected cautious assessment rather than a pledge. A China embassy spokesperson, Liu Pengyu, said “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply” and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” for de-escalation, the AP report said. South Korea’s foreign ministry said it “takes note” of Trump’s call and would “closely coordinate and carefully review” the situation with the United States, while expectations remained that Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would raise the issue directly with Trump when they meet at the White House on Thursday, the AP report said.
In parallel with the diplomatic and military messaging, energy officials pointed to emergency measures to reduce price pressure. The International Energy Agency said Sunday that emergency oil stocks “will soon start flowing to global markets,” describing the effort to lower prices as “by far the largest ever.” The AP report said the IEA updated a prior announcement of 400 million barrels to nearly 412 million, with Asian countries planning to release stocks immediately and reserves from Europe and the Americas set to be released from the end of March.
As the conflict stretches across the region, the AP report also described additional missile and drone attacks and damage claims involving Gulf states and Israel. Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain reported new missile or drone attacks, and the AP report said Dubai temporarily suspended flights at its international airport after a drone hit a fuel tank and caused a fire; authorities said there were no injuries. The report said Iran claimed that U.S. strikes on Kharg Island—home to Iran’s primary oil terminal—were launched from the UAE without providing evidence, and that Tehran threatened to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” if its oil infrastructure is hit.
U.S. Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim, the AP report said, and a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, Anwar Gargash, rejected it. The AP report also said Gulf countries that host U.S. bases denied allowing their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran. It further said Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the war, causing significant damage and rattling economies even as most are intercepted.
The AP report said the war’s toll was also expanding across multiple fronts, including civilian deaths and displacement. In Lebanon, it said at least 820 people have been killed since Iran-backed Hezbollah hit Israel and Israel responded with strikes and sent additional troops into southern Lebanon, and it said more than 800,000 people—nearly one out of every seven residents—have been displaced in just 10 days. In Israel, the report said 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire and more were injured, including three on Sunday, and it said at least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, including six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.
Early Monday, Israel’s military said Iran launched missiles toward Israel, the AP report said. It described strikes earlier hitting central Israel and the Tel Aviv area, with damage at 23 sites and a small fire, and it said Israel’s rescue service, Magen David Adom, released video showing a crater and shrapnel damage to an apartment building. The report also said Israel’s military stated Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and scatter submunitions across multiple locations.