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U.S. President Donald Trump said that countries relying on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz should take more responsibility for securing the waterway, while promising strong American backing.

In posts on Truth Social, Trump said the United States had already “beaten and completely decimated Iran” militarily and economically, but argued that keeping Hormuz open should not be America’s job alone. He said countries that receive oil through the strait “must take care of that passage” and that the United States would help “a lot.”

Trump also said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom would send naval forces to help secure the area. In another post, he predicted that many affected countries would eventually dispatch warships alongside the United States to keep the strait open and safe.

His remarks showed a clear push for a more international response at a time when the conflict with Iran has already caused serious disruption to shipping and energy flows.

“One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!” – President DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/8XzG2aTmQT

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 14, 2026

Strait of Hormuz – Vital Choke Point

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Roughly a fifth of global oil exports normally pass through the narrow waterway, which is about 54 kilometers, or 34 miles, wide at its narrowest point.

Since the start of the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, maritime traffic through the area has been badly disrupted. Iran’s attacks and threats have made commercial transit increasingly dangerous, while the crisis has helped push oil prices sharply higher.

Trump acknowledged that even a weakened Iran still has enough capability to threaten shipping in the Strait. He said it would be easy for Iran to use drones, mines, or short-range missiles against vessels moving through the passage.

At the same time, he vowed an aggressive U.S. response, saying American forces would keep striking Iranian positions along the shoreline and target Iranian boats and ships to restore safe navigation.

Kharg Island Threat

The pressure on Iran has also expanded beyond the waterway itself. On Friday, Trump said the United States had struck military targets on Kharg Island, the key hub that handles almost all of Iran’s crude exports.

Although the island’s oil infrastructure was not destroyed, Trump warned that those facilities could also be targeted if Iran or any other actor interfered further with shipping through Hormuz.

That warning matters because Kharg Island is central to Iran’s oil export system. Any direct attack on its energy infrastructure would deepen the conflict and could trigger broader retaliation from Tehran.

Iran has already signaled that it could strike energy and transport infrastructure across the Gulf if its own facilities are attacked. That has increased fears of wider regional damage to ports, export terminals, and shipping routes used by other oil producers.

Allies Move Carefully

Despite Trump’s public appeal, there were no immediate signs that major U.S. partners had agreed to send ships into the Hormuz crisis.

France and Britain have nevertheless increased their military posture in the broader region. French President Emmanuel Macron visited a French aircraft carrier earlier in the week and said France and its partners were preparing what he described as a defensive mission aimed at helping reopen the strait.

Britain has also stepped up its focus on regional shipping security. A British warship was sent from southern England toward the eastern Mediterranean after a drone attack hit the UK’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus.

British officials have also said they are discussing further options with allies to protect shipping in the region. Still, caution remains the dominant mood among U.S. partners.

Countries named by Trump, including Japan and South Korea, appear reluctant to commit to direct naval deployment at this stage. Some governments may be more comfortable with defensive or escort missions later rather than immediately joining U.S.-led military operations.

What began as a regional military confrontation has now become a global economic and strategic problem. Disruption in Hormuz affects not only Gulf states and the United States, but also the major Asian and European economies that depend on energy supplies moving through the passage.

Trump argues that those countries should now share the burden of protecting a sea lane on which they depend heavily.

But that position also exposes the limits of U.S. diplomacy in the current crisis. Allies may support freedom of navigation in principle, yet many remain wary of joining a military operation that could provoke more Iranian attacks.

With oil markets already rattled, regional bases under threat, and shipping still vulnerable, the question is no longer only whether the United States can force the strait open. It is whether enough of its partners are willing to help do it.