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US President Donald Trump said he has asked around seven countries to deploy warships to help secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, as escalating tensions with Iran continue to disrupt traffic through one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (US local time), Trump said Washington is working to build an international coalition to escort vessels passing through the strategic waterway, through which nearly 20 per cent of global oil exports are transported.
“We had some very good results today in Iran, very strong results militarily. We are talking to countries about policing the Strait of Hormuz because they are the ones that rely on it for oil. The US gets very little oil from there, about 1 or 2 per cent, but China, for example, gets about 90 per cent of its oil through the strait of Hormuz. It would be good if other countries helped police it with us and we will work with them,” Trump said.
The US President did not disclose which countries had been approached but indicated that the requests were directed at nations heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil supplies.
Trump said these countries should take greater responsibility for safeguarding the route. “I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their own territory,” he said.
VIDEO | Onboard Air Force One: US President Donald Trump says, “We had some very good results today in Iran, very strong results militarily. We are talking to countries about policing the Strait of Hormuz because they are the ones that rely on it for oil. The US gets very little… pic.twitter.com/yS7PDzPDiO
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 16, 2026
No Firm Commitments Yet
Despite the outreach, no country has yet formally committed to joining the proposed maritime security mission, even as oil prices surge amid fears of supply disruptions.
Trump drew comparisons with US involvement in other international security commitments, including its support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and assistance to Ukraine.
“We’re always there for NATO. We’re helping them with Ukraine. It doesn’t affect us, but we’ve helped them. It would be interesting to see which country wouldn’t help us with a very small endeavour, which is just keeping the Strait open,” he said.
Trump Claims Iran’s Military Weakened
Trump also asserted that Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly degraded following recent US-led strikes.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’ve essentially defeated Iran,” he said, while acknowledging that Tehran may still mount limited retaliation.
According to Trump, US forces have targeted Iran’s air force, air defence systems and leadership structures, and struck strategic locations such as Kharg Island, a key hub for Iranian oil exports. He further claimed that Iran’s missile and drone production capacity had been severely curtailed.
“They may have a little bit of fight back left, but not much. We have taken out their air force, navy and air defence. We attacked Kharg Island but left one small area where the oil pipelines come in. We can take that out within five minutes if we want, everything is locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump added.
Iran Rejects Talks With Washington
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said several countries had approached Tehran seeking assurances for the safe passage of their vessels through the Strait.
Speaking to CBS, Araghchi said the decision to allow ships through the waterway rests with the Iranian military, noting that vessels from “different countries” had already been permitted to pass.
However, he ruled out diplomatic negotiations with the United States to end the conflict.
Araghchi accused Israel and the US of initiating the war through coordinated strikes on February 28 during indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear programme. He also said Tehran had no plans to rebuild its stockpile of enriched uranium that was destroyed during earlier US and Israeli operations.
