Trump demands help to secure Strait of Hormuz: “We will remember”

President Trump on Sunday called on other countries to help the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory. It’s the place from which they get their energy. And they should come and they should help us protect it,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The president argued that other countries rely on the narrow waterway for their energy more than the U.S. and that they should be protecting tankers from Iranian attacks, which have all but brought shipping to a halt through the strait.

“Why are we maintaining the Hormuz Strait when it’s really there for China and many other countries? Why aren’t they doing it?” he said.

The president specifically called on NATO countries to offer support, saying the U.S. is “always there for NATO,” pointing to the U.S. “helping them with Ukraine” even though “it doesn’t affect us.”

“It’d be interesting to see what country wouldn’t help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the strait open,” he said.

President Trump also singled out the United Kingdom, criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he described as a late offer of help to send aircraft carriers, saying: “I don’t want them after we win the war, I want them before we start the war.”

“Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I said it to them: We will remember,” he warned.