President Trump on Saturday called on the nations that depend on oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz to step up and help keep the critical waterway open, framing the effort as a "team effort" that should have existed long before Tehran decided to pick a fight.
The New York Post reported that the push comes as Iran's foreign minister declared the strait closed to American and Israeli vessels, even as 16 ships have been attacked in and around the Gulf and Strait since the war began on February 28. The conflict has driven the national average gas price from $2.98 the day before the first strikes to $3.68 on Saturday, according to AAA.
Trump laid out his position in a Truth Social post:
"The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!"
He followed up with a second post signaling the broader diplomatic vision:
"The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be — It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!"
The Strait of Hormuz handles about 20% of the world's oil supply. The threat of Iranian attacks has brought shipping through the passageway to a halt, cutting off 27% of the world's maritime oil and gas.
That's not a regional inconvenience. That's a global economic chokepoint being weaponized by a regime under military and economic pressure.
There was one bright spot Saturday: two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas successfully crossed the Strait that morning. But two tankers navigating a passage that should carry the world's energy freely is not normalcy. It's a reminder of how far things have deteriorated.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told MS NOW on Saturday that the Strait is "open," then immediately qualified exactly how open he meant:
"It is only closed to the tankers and ships belong[ing] to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass."
So Iran claims sovereignty over international waters, decides who qualifies as an "enemy," and reserves the right to attack commercial shipping accordingly. This is not a nation asserting defensive rights. This is a protection racket dressed in diplomatic language.
The president isn't just talking. Earlier on Saturday, he said that "many countries" will send warships to patrol the vital waterway and keep it "open and safe." He has also threatened to destroy Iran's oil infrastructure on its Kharg Island energy hub if the regime refuses to allow safe passage.
On Wednesday, Trump ordered the release of 172 million barrels from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the biggest such release in American history. The move targets the pain Americans are feeling at the pump directly while the broader military and diplomatic strategy takes shape.
This is a president working multiple levers simultaneously: military deterrence against Iran, coalition-building among allied nations that benefit from the strait, and domestic energy relief for American consumers absorbing a 70-cent-per-gallon spike in a matter of weeks.
The most consequential piece of Trump's message isn't the military posture. It's the expectation that other nations carry their weight.
For decades, the United States has served as the de facto security guarantor for global shipping lanes, particularly in the Persian Gulf.
American taxpayers funded the carrier groups. American sailors bore the risk. And the nations whose economies depended most on that oil, from Europe to East Asia, contributed little to the effort.
Trump's framing rejects that arrangement. The countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz "must take care of that passage," he said. The US will help, and help significantly, but this will no longer be an American burden shouldered alone while the rest of the world benefits in silence.
That is not isolationism. It is the opposite: a coalition model where participation is the price of protection. Nations that need the oil help secure the oil. The logic is so obvious it exposes how unusual the old arrangement actually was.
Tehran's position grows weaker by the day. Trump described Iran as "beaten and completely decimated" militarily and economically.
American strikes have already hit military targets on Kharg Island. The regime's response has been to target merchant vessels, 16 since February 28, which is the behavior of a government that cannot win a direct confrontation and has resorted to harassment.
Araghchi's declaration that the strait is "only closed" to enemies is the kind of line that sounds firm domestically and collapses under any strategic pressure. When multiple nations begin running warships through the passage, Iran faces a choice: escalate against a multinational coalition or quietly back down and pretend the policy was always flexible.
History suggests the latter.
The immediate test is whether allied nations answer the call. Trump said "many countries" are prepared to send warships. The specific lineup matters. If major oil-importing nations from Asia and Europe commit naval assets, Iran's blockade posture becomes untenable without a level of escalation the regime cannot afford.
Meanwhile, the 172-million-barrel reserve release buys time at home. Gas prices at $3.68 are painful but manageable. If the coalition strategy restores normal shipping, the price pressure eases on its own. If it doesn't, the Kharg Island threat remains on the table.
For American consumers watching the pump tick higher every week, the picture is straightforward. The president drew the line, mobilized allies, released domestic reserves, and put Iran on notice. The rest depends on whether the world's oil-dependent nations decide free-riding is finally over.
