Muted response as Trump urges nations to escort ships through Hormuz Strait

The US president’s call for allied naval forces comes as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says, ‘Let him send his ships’.

President Donald Trump’s suggestion that countries send their warships alongside US naval forces to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe” has brought no immediate commitments, as oil prices soar due to the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told the NBC broadcaster on Sunday that he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump mentioned – including the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and South Korea – and that he expected that China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the Hormuz Strait.

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But countries have made no promises.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China’s Embassy in the US, said that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply”, and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” for de-escalation.

Iran’s military is effectively blocking the crucial waterway in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes, aiming to damage the world economy and pressure Washington as energy prices skyrocket.

Tehran says the Hormuz Strait, through which one-fifth of global oil exports normally pass, is open to all except the US and its allies.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi told the US network CBS that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels, “and this is up to our military to decide”.

Indian Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar told The Financial Times that negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran had allowed two Indian-flagged gas tankers to pass through the strait on Saturday.

“I am at the moment engaged in talking to them, and my talking has yielded some results. This is ongoing… Certainly, from India’s perspective, it is better that we reason and we coordinate and we get a solution,” Jaishankar said.

‘In dialogue’

At least 10 oil tankers have been hit, targeted, or have reported attacks since the start of the conflict on February 28, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and Iraqi and Iranian authorities.

With crude oil prices hovering at about $100 a barrel, Trump administration officials insisted that all signs point to a relatively quick ⁠end to the conflict. About 1,000 oil tankers are currently stranded and unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, said she highly doubted that China would offer naval forces to assist the US.

“I don’t think China’s going to send warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it doesn’t need to, because Iranian oil is flowing to China quite nicely,” Slavin told Al Jazeera.

“Iran is only blocking the oil shipments from countries that are affiliated with the United States and Israel.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed with Trump the importance of reopening Hormuz “to end the disruption to global shipping”, and spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about it separately.

‘Let him send his ships’

France previously said it was working on a possible international mission to escort ships through the strait, but stressed it must be when “the circumstances permit”, when fighting has subsided.

German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul said he was “sceptical” about the plan. He told ARD television: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No.”

The ⁠Wall Street Journal reported ⁠on Sunday, citing unnamed ⁠US officials, that the ⁠Trump administration plans to announce as ⁠early as this ⁠week that multiple countries have agreed to ‌form a coalition to escort ships through the Strait ⁠of Hormuz.

Al Jazeera ⁠could not immediately verify the ‌report.

Brigadier-General Ali Mohammad Naini, a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, challenged Trump on his boast that Iran’s navy was decimated during the war.

“Didn’t Trump say that Iran’s navy has been destroyed? If so, let him send his ships into the Persian Gulf if he dares,” Naini was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.