US President Donald Trump called allies of America “cowards” for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Hormuz Strait shipping route.
“COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump wrote how the allies “complain” about rising oil prices but are not ready to help open the Strait of Hormuz. The Republican leader has been pressing allies to help safeguard the critical waterway to ease a chokepoint on the region’s oil exports, fumed that the US is not getting support “despite the fact that we helped” NATO “so much”, and said that it was in allies’ interest to prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapon.
Oil Prices Surge
Brent crude oil, the international standard, has soared during the fighting and was around $108 per barrel Friday, up from roughly $70 per barrel before the war began.
Surging fuel prices come at a moment when many world leaders were already struggling to bring down high prices of food and many consumer goods. Asia is getting hit hard, as most of the oil and gas exiting the Strait of Hormuz is transported there.
But the price shocks are reverberating throughout the world economy. Key raw materials — like helium used in making computer chips and sulphur, a raw material in fertiliser — have been obstructed and could be in short supply soon, raising the prices of goods all the way down the supply chain.
Countries Agree To Join Efforts For Safe Passage Through Hormuz
However, in a joint statement, leading European nations and Japan agreed to join “appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and said that they would take steps to stabilise energy markets.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan condemned the attacks by Iran in the statement and urged it to halt its actions immediately.
“We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping,” the leaders said in a joint statement issued by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office.
As the Iran war enters its 21st day, the strait remains effectively closed.
The war has led Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region, with 23 commercial vessels, including 10 tankers, reporting having been attacked or incidents.
(With inputs from agencies)
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