White House press secretary defends Trump’s insistence that allies help US open Hormuz Strait

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is pressed on US President Donald Trump’s demand that American allies join Washington in ensuring safe passage for ships in the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran’s efforts to block the sea channel, a key artery for the movement of oil, in response to the US-Israeli offensive against Iran.

“These other countries are benefiting greatly from the United States military taking out the threat of Iran,” Leavitt tells reporters outside the White House.

“The rogue Iranian regime has long not just posed a threat to the United States of America, but to our Gulf and Arab partners in the region,” she says, pointing to Iran’s strikes on civilian targets over the past two-plus weeks and noting that Iran’s missiles also have the potential to reach Europe.