US President Donald Trump says Israel has been working with the United States on securing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, as he reiterates his demand that other countries help protect the key waterway that Iran has been targeting amid the current war.
Trump tells reporters on Air Force One that Washington is in talks with some seven countries about policing the critical shipping lane for oil and gas.
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump says, claiming the shipping channel is not something the United States needs because of its own access to oil.
Trump says China gets about 90% of its oil from the strait, while the US gets a minimal amount. He declines to discuss whether China will join the coalition.
“It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them,” Trump says.
He says Washington is in contact with Iran but expresses doubt that Tehran is prepared for serious negotiations to end the conflict.
“I don’t think they are ready,” he says.
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