WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump relied on his gut and largely eschewed diplomatic coordination to launch a strike against Iran with Israel. But now, as the economic and geopolitical consequences of the war are rapidly unfolding, he is cajoling allies and other global powers to help pick up the pieces.
Trump said he had asked about a half-dozen countries to send warships to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil trade flows. So far, no one has committed. Trump even said he would use his long-planned trip to China to pressure Beijing to help form a new alliance aimed at moving tanker traffic through the strait — an idea his Treasury secretary later downplayed.
“We strongly encourage other countries whose economies are much more dependent on the Strait than ours… and we want them to help us solve the Strait problem,” Trump said at the White House on Monday, citing Japan, China, South Korea and several European countries as examples. Trump argued that the waterway was not what the United States needed because of its oil resources.
The bullying has earned the Republican president key foreign policy victories in his second term, such as prompting nearly all NATO nations to increase defense spending last year after years of accusing allies of taking unearned U.S. largesse and using tariffs to extract investments and concessions from trading partners.
But with oil prices soaring and violence erupting in the Middle East, there is little appetite for other countries to heed Trump’s call.
China was noncommittal. France may participate in escorting the ships if “circumstances permit”. Britain is unlikely to send warships.
From Trump’s perspective, this lack of interest in helping secure the strait confirms his skepticism about the benefits of working with other countries because “if we need help, they’re not going to be there for us.”
“I’ve always thought that was a weakness of NATO,” Trump said on Monday. “We want to protect them, but I always say they won’t protect us when we need help.”
But soon after, Trump insisted that the United States didn’t need anyone’s help because “we are the most powerful country in the world.”
White House: Trump was ‘right’ to ask for help on Strait of Hormuz
Still, the White House’s pressure campaign continues.
Asked why other countries without consultation or involvement with Iran should put their troops at risk to secure the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s top spokesman said other countries were benefiting directly from Trump’s attempts to disarm the Iranian regime.
“This is something that not just the United States but the entire Western world has agreed to for years,” White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt told reporters on Monday.
Separately, Trump told the Financial Times in an interview on Sunday that before he heads to a summit in Beijing at the end of March, “we want to know” whether China will help secure the strait because of its reliance on Middle Eastern oil, adding: “We may hold off.”
During an afternoon event in the Oval Office, Trump revealed that he had asked China to postpone the trip for “a month or so.”
“We are talking to China. I would love to do that, but because of the war… I feel like I have to be here,” Trump said.
However, canceling an in-person visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could have significant economic consequences, as relations between the world’s two largest economies remain contentious over tariffs and other issues. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant told CNBC on Monday that any delays were not due to the Strait dispute and explicitly urged investors not to react negatively if Trump delayed his trip.
Bessant met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris for a new round of trade talks aimed at paving the way for the visit.
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian did not directly respond to questions about Trump’s call for outside help in the strait. He noted the impact on trade in goods and energy and reiterated the government’s call for an end to the fighting.
Trump calls for coalition to secure Hormuz, no takers so far
Early in the conflict with Iran, Trump said U.S. Navy ships would escort oil tankers through the strait connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and downplayed the threat posed by Iran. But with oil prices soaring, he and his government have been forced to consider new options, including the idea floated this weekend of having other countries join the effort by sending their own warships.
Trump told reporters he had asked seven countries to join a coalition to help tankers navigate the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says is closed off only to the United States, Israel and their allies.
In addition to China, Japan and South Korea, Trump also appealed to the United Kingdom and France for help.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that Britain was working with allies on plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but “will not be drawn into a wider war.”
Starmer said Britain was discussing the possibility of using mine-clearing drones it has in the region with the United States and allies in Europe and the Gulf. But he said Britain was unlikely to send warships.
Other countries have similarly resisted participation.
Australian Transport Minister Catherine King told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday that “we are not sending ships to the Strait of Hormuz,” although she was unaware of such a U.S. request
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels on Monday that while Italy supports strengthening the EU’s naval missions in the Red Sea, “I do not think these missions can be expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump administration downplays surge in oil prices
Just as the midterm election season begins to heat up, the war in Iran has sent oil prices soaring, raising the prices Americans pay at the pump.
Bessant downplayed the war’s impact on oil prices and accused the media of “trying to make it look like a crisis, but it’s not.” The minister echoed Trump’s sentiments, insisting that prices would fall after the conflict ends.
“I don’t know how many weeks it will take, but on the other hand, the world will be safer and our supplies will be better,” Bessant told CNBC.
China, facing pressure on its own economy, recently trimmed its growth target slightly to 4.5% to 5% in 2026, the slowest projected growth since 1991, meaning prolonged disruptions in the strait could also have long-term consequences for Beijing.
At the White House on Monday, Trump was asked about what his aides had told him about how long gas prices would stay high.
Trump dismissed the question, again demonstrating that he ultimately relies on his gut.
“I don’t need a consultant to tell me that,” he said. “I know what it is.”
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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.
