Trump says other countries must open Strait of Hormuz because they use it

President Trump said other countries will eventually need to help break Iran’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz because they depend far more on the waterway for energy than the United States.

“We don’t use the strait, the United States. We don’t need it,” Mr. Trump said as he left the White House on Friday for Florida. “Europe needs it – Korea, Japan, China. They’ll have to step up a bit on this.”

“It would be good if these countries got involved,” he said.

Mr. Trump decided to join forces with Israel and launch the operation against Iran on February 28 because he wanted to dismantle Iran’s missile program, prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and end Tehran’s support for terrorist proxies in the Middle East.

Iran responded by hitting oil-rich Gulf countries and closing the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, was trading at more than $100 a barrel on Thursday.

The national average price for a gallon of gasoline hit $3.90 Friday, up from less than $3 a month ago.

For days, Mr. Trump has deplored the lack of cooperation from European and Asian allies in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He says the United States supports them in times of need and would appreciate their assistance in Iran’s efforts.

America’s partner in the war, Israel, has hit Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon hard and struck part of a vital Iranian gas field without U.S. cooperation in recent days, raising questions about whether the two countries had separate goals.

Mr. Trump, however, said he believed Israel would be ready to end the war when the United States did.

“I think so,” Mr. Trump said. “The relationship is very good.”