Former President Donald Trump said he ‘strongly encourages’ other nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with Iran rise and threats to commercial shipping increase. In remarks aired by NBC, he pressed European and Asian partners to take a larger role in keeping the vital waterway open, arguing for a multinational effort instead of leaving the burden to the United States alone.
Trump repeated that the U.S. will remain engaged in the region ‘as long as it takes’ and asserted that Iran has been ‘militarily defeated,’ while noting Tehran has shown interest in talks but that ‘the terms aren’t good enough yet.’ His comments come after recent U.S. strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure and a series of incidents that have disrupted shipping and contributed to higher fuel costs.
Administration officials and analysts have pointed to diplomatic ‘off-ramps’ as options to de-escalate with Iran, but Trump’s public appeal centers on burden-sharing with allies to protect maritime commerce and deter additional attacks. He framed wider allied involvement as both a practical and political step to stabilize global energy markets and lower the risk of a broader Gulf confrontation.