Trump seeks global backing to reopen Strait of Hormuz

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This photo, released by the Royal Thai Navy, shows smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier ‘Mayuree Naree’ near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack. Around 20 crew members have been rescued so far.—AFP/FIle

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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has escalated his campaign to enlist international support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the future of NATO could be at risk if European and Asian allies fail to assist.

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” Trump declared in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday.

Trump also said that he could delay his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping later this month as he pressed Beijing to help unblock the crucial waterway.

In the same interview, he repeated an earlier appeal that countries dependent on Gulf oil should bear shared responsibility for ensuring the free flow of energy through the strategically vital waterway.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” he said.

Trump’s comments, made in an eight-minute phone call with the FT, came a day after he appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to join a “team effort” to open up the chokepoint through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

The appeals come more than two weeks after the US and Israel launched airstrikes at Iran, as the war effectively restricted shipping through the Strait, a chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

The blockade has already contributed to a sharp surge in international oil prices, which reached $106 a barrel by Sunday — a 45 per cent increase since the start of the conflict. Gasoline prices in the United States have also jumped, reaching a national average of $3.68 per gallon, according to AAA, an increase of nearly 24 per cent in a fortnight.

The New York Times noted that the Trump administration appears to have misjudged the economic fallout.

“His advisers appear to have miscalculated how severely Iranian retaliation could disrupt global energy markets,” the newspaper noted. It added that oil prices have risen “by more than 40 percent, defying efforts to calm markets.”

The political fallout at home is also becoming more visible. The Times observed that “The Trump administration has struggled to sell the war with Iran to a skeptical American public, including Trump’s own right-wing supporters.”

Trump has taken to Truth Social to reiterate his call, promising that the United States would coordinate with allied nations to “keep the Strait open and safe.”

Yet his repeated public urgings underscore the difficulties Washington faces in mobilizing allies to take direct military action.

The UK Ministry of Defence responded cautiously, stating that it was “discussing a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region” with its partners.

The challenge is partly logistical. Analysts note that the US Navy’s mine-sweeping capabilities are currently deployed elsewhere, limiting Washington’s ability to secure the passage unilaterally.

Strategic ambiguity has further complicated matters. While at first Trump enthusiastically called on Iranians to rise up, the Times reported that he later shifted tone, noting he expressed skepticism that a popular uprising could succeed, saying opponents faced “a big hurdle” because they were likely to be gunned down if they mounted protests.

Daniel Shapiro, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East from 2024 to 2025, told the Atlantic Council: “What is less clear is how well the Israeli goal of regime change matches the United States’ objectives, or if it does, how long that will remain the case.”

He added: “Trump and his administration have offered inconsistent explanations of the war’s strategic objectives.”

Regional dynamics are also influencing Washington’s approach. According to the NYT , “Trump is talking regularly to Arab leaders, particularly Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince.”

Vali Nasr, a US scholar of Iranian origin, cautioned that the current trajectory could prove destabilising, warning: “Just as the war is poised to escalate, this leak could be adding fuel to the fire.”

He also noted that Tehran believes time is on its side and that a prolonged conflict could alter Washington’s calculus while strengthening nationalism at home.

Military planners are also wary of escalation. Nate Swanson, a resident senior fellow and director of the Iran Strategy Project at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, told the Atlantic Council: “Iran is a massive country with very difficult topography and would require hundreds of thousands of troops to occupy. Any use of ground forces would likely be limited to special operations forces for specific missions.”

For Pakistan and other nations dependent on Gulf energy, the crisis carries immediate economic and security implications. More than 4.5 million Pakistanis work in the region, and any severe disruption to Gulf economies would reverberate back home through remittances and trade.

The Strait of Hormuz is not just a distant flashpoint; any sustained disruption in shipping could exacerbate energy costs, fuel inflation and destabilize markets across Asia.

Anwar Iqbal is a correspondent for Dawn, based in Washington, DC.