President Trump is calling on U.S. allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz, saying countries that depend on oil shipped through the Strait "must take care of that passage" and "cherish it" now that the U.S. has completed the “hard part.”
Trump's comments came during an address to the nation from the White House Wednesday evening, marking one month of war in Iran, in which he spoke about the U.S. military's ongoing operations and predicted that the campaign will wind down soon.
"We've beaten and completely decimated Iran," Trump said. "They are decimated, both militarily and economically, and every other way. And the countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it."
"They can do it easily," he added. "We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on."
Trump said countries that are struggling to receive fuel as a result of the conflict affecting passage through the Strait should instead buy oil from the U.S. The president emphasized American energy independence and argued that the U.S. has no interest in maintaining the security of the Strait. If Iran continues obstructing trade through the Strait, global oil prices are expected to continue to rise precipitously, destabilizing global energy markets and the economies of America’s European allies in particular.
The president said the U.S. is “on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly.”
“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” he added. “We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”
He said the country’s nuclear sites have “been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust.”
“We have all the cards they have none,” he added.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff revealed last month that negotiations with the Iranian regime had been fruitless in the lead-up to the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, since the regime was merely “pretending to negotiate” while leaders were lying about the country’s nuclear program.
The United Arab Emirates has expressed a desire to assist the U.S. and allies in clearing the Strait and is lobbying for United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing such action, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Witkoff said the 24,000 pounds of enriched uranium "was never intended to be used . . . for civil purposes."
"It could only be stockpiled in a move towards weaponization," he said.
Since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, the U.S. has killed several Iranian leaders, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed since the start of the conflict.
“As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight, to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran,” Trump said in his address.
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