HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — President Donald Trump told U.S. allies on Tuesday to “just TAKE” oil from the Strait of Hormuz, a passage used for Gulf petroleum exports.
He said in a social media post that states which have been cautious about entering his war with Iran, like the U.K., should either “build up some delayed courage” and go to the strait or buy from the U.S.
“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
It’s unclear what the president means by his push. The White House hasn’t answered The National News Desk’s request for clarification.
Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which is off Iran’s southern coast, have decreased dramatically since the start of the war. Iran has threatened to attack tankers bound for adversarial countries, like the U.S. and its allies, disrupting the passage normally used for a fifth of the world’s petroleum supply.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that the U.K. won’t be drawn into the war, although he has committed to defending the kingdom’s troops and interests. He has also pledged to work with British allies to resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has demanded that his allies play a more significant role in the war, which began with a fatal U.S.-assisted Israeli strike against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei weeks ago. The U.S. and Israel have since launched attacks against other Tehran officials and military assets, but it’s unclear how damaged the regime is.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Iran’s old guard is destroyed but is urging the administration to negotiate with him.
“The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” the president said in a Truth Social post on Monday.
“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched,'” Trump added.
TNND has been unable to request comment from Iran’s foreign ministry.
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