News

US president refuses to identify which countries he says are responding to call for naval coalition to open trade route.

How might the UK support shipping in the Strait of Hormuz?  BBC

Ben Chu from BBC Verify has been looking at what role the Royal Navy could play in the Strait of Hormuz.

Effective closure of strait of Hormuz also affecting Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, which have brought in crisis measures Sri Lanka is introducing a shorter four-day working week to preserve its shrinking fuel and gas reserves, as the Middle East conflict continues to severely disrupt energy supplies in the region. Countries across south Asia are facing crippling shortages of fuel and LPG gas, which are used for everything from home cooking to cremating bodies, as most supplies have been held up in the Gulf since the US and Israel began bombing Iran. Continue reading...

The Latest: Trump seeks help to reopen Strait of Hormuz amid Iran's stranglehold on shipping  Union-Bulletin

Iran War News Live Updates: U.S. Allies Look at Options to Open Strait of Hormuz After Trump Pressure  WSJ

Abbas Araghchi demands clarification on reports Saudi crown prince had urged Donald Trump to ‘hit the Iranians hard’ Middle East crisis – live updates Some Gulf states hosting US forces may be covertly encouraging the slaughter of Iranians, Iran’s foreign minister has claimed in a thinly-veiled attack on Saudi Arabia. Abbas Araghchi demanded clarification on reports that Mohammed bin Salman was in regular private conversations with Donald Trump urging the US president “to continue hitting the Iranians hard”. Continue reading...

Kallas says 'no appetite' to shift mandate of EU naval mission in the strait of Hormuz  Euronews.com

Trump calls on nations to help secure Strait of Hormuz  NBC News

The US president said he was ‘not happy’ and ‘very surprised’ that Sir Keir Starmer would not send warships to support the US in the Strait of Hormuz, while German chancellor Friedrich Merz said this was ‘not Nato’s war’

US allies reject Trump’s request for help in Strait of Hormuz  Straight Arrow News - SAN

Tensions are soaring in the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian attacks disrupt global oil flows, prompting Trump to push allies and major economies to help reopen the vital waterway. Here’s how different countries are responding. #dwcurrentaffairs  facebook.com

Hegseth, Trump face perilous options in the Strait of Hormuz  WATE 6 On Your Side

Two India carriers secure safe passage through Strait of Hormuz  Defense News

White House seems to have failed to anticipate that Tehran would fight back by trying to impose costs on the west Middle East crisis – live updates If there was a moment when the absence of a US strategy on Iran was exposed, then this was it. Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the UK, China, France, Japan and others participate in a naval escort for oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz. Despite launching the attack on Iran, with Israel, the White House does not seem to have fully anticipated what was likely to follow. Iran had few good military options for fighting back, but attacking US bases, US allies and merchant shipping in the Gulf was the most obvious response – to try to impose costs on the west. Continue reading...

European countries reject Trump’s call for help to reopen strait of Hormuz  The Guardian

BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers showed "no appetite" to expand an EU naval mission in the Middle East to the Strait of Hormuz for the time being, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump has called on other nationsto help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to ‌effectively close thechannelfor tankers that normally transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.

President Donald Trump criticized US allies on Monday for their lukewarm response to his call to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US war against Iran. Trump called for more "enthusiasm" from other countries, as he said he believed France and Britain would somewhat reluctantly get involved. "We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm," Trump told reporters during an event at the White House. "The level of enthusiasm matters to me."

Trump ‘strongly’ encourages other nations to help on ‘paper tiger’ Iran, Strait of Hormuz  The Hill

Bessent says some ships are getting through the Strait of Hormuz  The Hill