1 / 8United States President Donald Trump called on countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), China, France, Japan and South Korea to “free” the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing war with Iran. As the closure of the significant oil passage leads to an energy crisis across the globe, Trump said that “hopefully” countries will send their warships to the region along with the US to “open” and keep the Strait “safe” for the transit of oil vessels. (Photo: Reuters)
2 / 8Reacting to the remarks, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran “will not allow” the passage of ships and containers of the “enemies and their allies”. Other countries also started to clarify whether they will send their ships to the Hormuz Strait or not. Here’s what they said: (Photo: Reuters)
(Photo Credit : Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (AP Photo))
3 / 8Japan: The Japanese authorities reportedly said that the threshold for Tokyo to send its warships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz is extremely high. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also clarified that Japan “has not made any decisions” whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. “We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” she said in Japan’s Parliament, as per Reuters. (AP Photo)
4 / 8Australia: Catherine King, a member of PM Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, said that Australia will not send naval ships to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “We won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to,” she said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC, as per Reuters. (Photo: Reuters)
5 / 8United Kingdom: Britain’s PM Keir Starmer discussed the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stop the global shipping disruption with US President Trump, a Downing Street spokeswoman said, as per Reuters. However, Starmer refused to Trump’s requests, as per DailyMail. Earlier, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had indicated that the UK is discussing with allies on how to keep the strait open and were considering sending mine-hunting drones. (Photo: Reuters)
(Photo Credit : France’s President Emmanuel Macron – Reuters photo)
6 / 8France: French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that the country’s position in the West Asian region is “defensive”. He has a conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and told him that “France is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partners.” Macron, however, stressed that “Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible.”
7 / 8China: While the country has made no comments over Trump’s remarks, Chinese officials have been calling for an immediate halt of the hostilities in West Asia. On the other hand, Trump has emphasised that China should help “because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits,” the US President told the Financial Times, adding that the Trump-Xi Summit could get delayed if China does not support the US. (Photo: Reuters)
8 / 8South Korea: Officials have said that they are closely monitoring Trump’s remarks and will carefully review the matter in close coordination with Washington. “We will communicate closely with the US regarding this matter and make a decision after careful review,” South Korea’s presidential office said, as per Reuters. (Photo: Reuters)
