March 17, 2026 | 02:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States President Donald Trump stated that the country does not need assistance from other nations in the effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for international shipping.
"I don't do a hard sell on them, because my attitude is, we don't need anybody. We don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military, by far, in the world," Trump told reporters on Monday as reported by Sputnik and cited by Antara.
He added that in some cases, he requests assistance not out of necessity, but to see how those countries react.
Trump also claimed that several countries have expressed readiness to assist the U.S. in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
"Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t," he said.
Trump continues to pressure countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil, including Japan and South Korea, to send warships to secure that vital shipping lane.
In a meeting at the White House, Trump reiterated the call for support to reopen the strait, which serves as a route for around 20 percent of the world's oil supply.
He also claimed that many countries were prepared to help, but did not specify which supported and which did not.
Trump had requested allies to assist the U.S. in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian forces had blockaded in response to intensive U.S.-Israel bombings commencing on February 28.
However, several European allies, also NATO members like Germany, Spain, and the UK, refused to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
"It is not NATO’s war," said German Chancellor's spokesman Friedrich Merz as reported by The Independent. "NATO is an alliance to defend the alliance area. The United States did not consult us before this war, and so we believe this is not a matter for NATO or the German government."
On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran, including Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties.
Iran then retaliated by launching attacks on Israel's territory and U.S. military facilities in the Middle East.
The escalation led to a de facto halt in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for shipping crude oil and liquefied natural gas from Gulf states to the global market.
The disruption also impacted oil exports and production in the region.
Read: NATO Allies Reject Trump Call to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
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