US allies quietly plan for Hormuz Strait risks if Trump leaves
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
More than 40 US allies met to discuss plans for reopening the Strait of Hormuz in case US leader Donald Trump decides not to handle it, according to Bloomberg.
The UK convened countries from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as Australia and Canada, to consider diplomatic approaches to Tehran and possible sanctions if Trump refuses to unblock the critically important shipping lane for global energy supplies.
The virtual meeting appeared aimed at demonstrating a unified position among dozens of US allies that the US president should not walk away from the conflict without finding a solution for the strait, as he has repeatedly threatened to do.
"Attendees fear that Trump will wind up his operation in Iran without a plan to reopen the waterway, leaving it to them to deal with the fallout," Bloomberg writes.
The international community has made it clear: the US must include a solution for the Strait of Hormuz in ceasefire negotiations with Iran, said people familiar with the discussions.
"Still, the virtual meeting showed the coalition of countries deem it necessary to begin preparations for having to reopen the strait without the US," Bloomberg added.
According to sources, Trump sharply criticized NATO countries for creating an unfavorable precedent, and free passage through the strait received broad support.
The US allies also discussed economic measures, including sanctions, to ensure that Iran cannot continue to profit from the closure.
Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
At the beginning of the Middle East war, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. This is a critically important waterway through which about 20% of global oil supplies pass, among other things.
After tankers from many countries, including those in the Gulf, were unable to reach their destinations to offload oil, an energy crisis erupted worldwide.
Fuel prices, driven by oil, also rose sharply in the US, causing panic in the Trump administration — something that was extremely ill-timed for him ahead of the elections.
For several weeks, Trump tried to unblock the Strait of Hormuz and called on NATO allies to help him by sending their ships there. However, the US president was refused, which angered him.
Recently, Trump began saying he would abandon efforts to unblock the strait, at which point his allies took the initiative into their own hands.
