Trump says he has called on countries to help “protect their territory” and monitor Iran’s Strait of Hormuz

CAIRO (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday he has asked about seven countries to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his pleas made no commitments as oil prices soared during the Iran war.

The president refused to name the countries that rely heavily on Middle Eastern crude and with which the administration is negotiating to join an alliance to guard the waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s traded oil usually flows.

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“I’m asking these countries to come in and protect their territory, because it’s their territory,” Trump said of the strait, claiming that the shipping channel is not something the United States needs because of its access to oil. Trump spoke while answering reporters’ questions during his return to Washington from Florida on Air Force One.

Trump said that China gets about 90% of its oil from the Strait, while the United States gets a small amount. He declined to discuss whether China would join the alliance.

“It would be nice if other countries could watch this with us, and we will help them. We will work with them,” Trump said. Previously, he appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had previously told CBS that a number of countries “have contacted Tehran seeking safe passage for their ships, and this matter is up to our army to decide.” He added that a group of ships from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.

Iran said the strait is open to everyone except the United States and its allies.

Araqchi added: “We see no reason for us to talk to the Americans” about finding a way to end the war, noting that Israel and the United States began fighting with coordinated attacks on February 28 during indirect US-Iranian talks on the Iranian nuclear program. He also said that Tehran “has no plan to recover” the enriched uranium that lay in ruins following the US and Israeli attacks last year.

Countries are wary after Trump’s call

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC earlier Sunday that he was “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump mentioned previously, and said he expected China to be a “constructive partner” in reopening the Strait.

But the countries did not make any promises.

Britain said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday discussed with Trump the importance of reopening the Strait “to end the disruption to global shipping,” and spoke with the Canadian Prime Minister about the matter separately.

Aboard Air Force One, Trump specifically mentioned Starmer, who he said initially refused to put British aircraft carriers “in harm’s way.”

“Whether we get the support or not, but I can say this, and I told them: We will remember,” Trump said.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Liu Bingyu, said earlier that “all parties bear the responsibility of ensuring stable and unhindered energy supplies” and that China “will work to strengthen communication with relevant parties” to de-escalate.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said it “took note” of Trump’s call and that it would “closely coordinate and carefully review” the situation with the United States.

There are high expectations that Trump will ask Japan directly when Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi meets with him on Thursday at the White House.

France has previously said it is working with countries – President Emmanuel Macron has mentioned partners in Europe, India and Asia – on a possible international mission to escort ships through the strait, but stressed that this should be done when “conditions allow”, when the fighting subsides.

“Are we soon going to be an active part of this conflict? No,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadwohl, who was not named in Trump’s call, told ARD television.

Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said Sunday that emergency oil stocks “will soon begin to flow into global markets,” describing the collective measure to cut prices as “the largest ever.”

Last week’s announcement was updated from 400 million barrels to approximately 412 million. Asian member states plan to release stocks “immediately,” and reserves will be released from Europe and the Americas “from the end of March.”

Trump did not directly answer whether his administration was talking about selling oil futures as a way to limit rising oil prices.

“Prices will fall as soon as the crisis ends. It will end very quickly,” he told reporters.

More missile and drone attacks have been reported

Gulf Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, reported new missile or drone attacks a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates — the first time it has threatened the non-US assets of a neighboring country.

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Dubai temporarily suspended flights at its international airport – the busiest in the world – after a drone hit a fuel tank and caused a fire. The authorities said that civil defense crews were able to control the fire without causing any casualties.

Tehran claimed that the US strikes that took place on Friday on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s main oil terminal, were launched from the United Arab Emirates, without providing evidence. It threatened to attack “the oil, economic, and energy infrastructure” linked to the United States if its oil infrastructure was exposed.

US Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim, which was rejected by Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the UAE president. The Gulf states that host US bases have denied allowing their lands or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.

Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at its Persian Gulf neighbors during the war, causing massive damage and shaking economies even as most were intercepted. Tehran says it is targeting US assets, even as Iranian strikes on civilian sites such as airports and oil fields have been reported.

The toll of war is mounting across the region

Iranian strikes led to the killing of at least ten civilians in the Gulf states, most of them migrant workers.

In Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent said that more than 1,300 people were killed. The Iranian Ministry of Health said that among the dead were 223 women and 202 children, according to the official Mizan News Agency affiliated with the judiciary.

On Sunday, the Iranian government displayed buildings to journalists that were damaged in the raids that took place in Tehran on Friday. A police station was hit and surrounding buildings were damaged. The exterior walls of some apartments were stripped.

“May God have mercy on us all,” said Ilham Mufagari, a resident. Other Iranians are leaving the country.

In Israel, 12 people were killed by Iranian missile fire and others were injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 American soldiers were killed, six of them in a plane crash in Iraq last week.

At least 820 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry, since Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel and Israel responded with strikes and sent additional forces into southern Lebanon. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people – nearly one in seven of Lebanon’s population – have been displaced.

More Iranian missile attacks hit Israel

The Israeli army announced, at dawn on Monday, that Iran had fired missiles towards Israel.

Earlier, several raids hit central Israel and the Tel Aviv area, causing damage in 23 locations and igniting a small fire. Magen David Adom, the Israeli rescue service, published a video clip showing a large hole in a street and shrapnel damage in a residential building.

The Israeli military says Iran is launching cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and spread small munitions across multiple locations.

Metz reported from Ramallah in the West Bank, Wessert reported from Air Force One, Frankel from Jerusalem, and Anna from Lovell, New York. Associated Press journalists Darlene Superville, Fatima Hussein and Tia Goldenberg in Washington contributed; Sally Abu Al-Joud and Fadi Al-Taweel in Beirut; John Lister in Paris; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.