Trump says Arab countries 'will have to join' fight to keep Strait of Hormuz open

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Arab countries would need to join the fight to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, arguing that nations dependent on oil flowing through the waterway bore responsibility for securing it.

"We don't get anything from the straits," Trump told Israeli Channel 14, pointing to US energy independence as the reason Washington should not bear the burden alone.

Countries receiving oil through the strait "must actively participate in the fighting and defense," he said, pledging that the US would remain present to assist.

Trump also said the military operation against Iran is "progressing wonderfully," reiterating his confidence in the campaign's trajectory.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28 and have reportedly killed around 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since early March following Iranian retaliatory strikes. Around 20 million barrels of oil pass through the waterway daily, and its disruption has pushed global oil prices above.