Trump Urges Key Partners to Show Strong Support for Hormuz Security

US President Donald Trump openly criticized US allies on Monday for their underwhelming response to his call for assistance in protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US conflict with Iran.

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Trump urged other nations to demonstrate greater enthusiasm in getting involved, expressing his belief that France and Britain would eventually participate, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

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During a White House event, Trump told reporters, "We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm," emphasizing that the level of enthusiasm was of significant importance to him.

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Trump revealed that several unnamed countries had committed to helping secure the critical waterway, which is essential for the global oil trade, but he criticized other nations for lacking enthusiasm.

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Trump lamented that despite the US protecting its allies for 40 years, they were now unwilling to get involved, saying "For 40 years, we're protecting you, and you don't want to get involved."

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NATO and other Western allies had pushed back against Trump's demand for the alliance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had effectively closed, in a statement made earlier on Monday.

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During a meeting with the hand-picked board of Washington's Kennedy Center, which Trump has renamed after himself, Trump offered partial praise for the leaders of Britain and France, noting that French President Emmanuel Macron had been an "eight" out of ten in his support.

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Trump described Macron as "not perfect — but it's France," and expressed his belief that the French leader would provide assistance, also anticipating that Britain would be involved in a Hormuz mission.

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Trump was more critical of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had previously faced criticism from Trump over Britain's refusal to send an aircraft carrier to the region, stating "I was not happy with the UK."

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Trump urged the UK to become involved enthusiastically, reminding them that they were the US's "oldest ally" and that the US spent significant amounts on NATO to protect them.

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Starmer had earlier stated that London was working with allies to craft a "viable" plan to reopen the strategic waterway, but ruled out a NATO mission.

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Trump characterized Iran as a "paper tiger" following two weeks of joint US-Israeli airstrikes and expressed uncertainty about who to negotiate with in Tehran.

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Trump questioned the condition of Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, saying "We don't know… if he's dead or not," and citing reports that Khamenei was badly disfigured or possibly dead.

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Trump emphasized the uncertainty surrounding Iran's leadership, stating "We don't know who we're dealing with" in Iran and "We don't know who their leader is."