Trump urges global naval push to reopen Strait of Hormuz as tensions with Iran disrupt oil route

US President Donald Trump has urged the United Kingdom, China and other nations to deploy warships to safeguard the strategic Strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States will continue military action until the vital shipping corridor is reopened.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said countries affected by disruptions in the narrow waterway should join the US in a coordinated naval effort to keep the passage open and secure.

“Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the strait open and safe,” Trump wrote.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and serves as one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes. Roughly one-fifth of global crude supplies — nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day — pass through the channel, making any disruption a major threat to global energy markets.

Tensions in the region have escalated since the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran about two weeks ago. Since then, several commercial vessels travelling through the strait have reportedly come under attack, severely disrupting shipping and fuelling concerns over rising oil prices and broader economic fallout.

Trump claimed that Iran’s military capability had been effectively neutralised but warned that Tehran could still threaten maritime traffic using smaller-scale attacks.

“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this waterway,” he wrote.

The US president added that Washington would intensify military operations to restore safe passage through the strait.

“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait open, safe, and free,” Trump said.

Iran swiftly rejected the claims, dismissing reports that its military capabilities had been destroyed as “fabricated lies”.

A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defense said Britain was discussing possible steps with international partners to protect commercial shipping in the region.

Former Royal Navy commander Neil Morisetti warned that the threat level in the strait remained dangerously high.

“I think that’s why you’re hearing people saying we hope to escort the tankers shortly, because it’s probably too high a threat at the moment and the risks are too great,” he said.

Trump’s call for British involvement comes despite his recent criticism of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for refusing to join the initial strikes on Iran.

“The United Kingdom, our once great ally, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote last week. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — but we will remember.”

Britain did not participate in the initial US-led strikes on Iran, which reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Defending the decision, Starmer told British lawmakers that the government had acted in line with its national interests.

“President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” he said.