‘Build up some delayed courage’ and grab Strait of Hormuz, Trump tells nations

Donald Trump has said countries which rely on the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane for oil should “build up some delayed courage” and “just grab it”.

The US president also said after the Iran conflict was over, the critical waterway would “just open up naturally”.

But while there were thinly veiled jibes at allies that had refused to take part in his offensive against Tehran, more strident criticism was missing from the American leader’s 19-minute address to the nation.

It had been trailed that he would tear into members of Nato, which he has threatened to quit in response to the perceived lack of support, but he did not mention the military alliance.

This was in stark contrast to comments he has made previously about the organisation, including at an earlier private lunch where he argued that Nato had treated the US “very badly” over the conflict.

The conflict has strained transatlantic tensions, with Mr Trump frequently lambasting the UK and other countries over their reluctance to being drawn into the military action, known by the US as Operation Epic Fury.

In the face of ongoing military strikes by the US and Israel, Iran has tightened its grip on the strait, sending global oil and gas prices skyrocketing.

Despite soaring fuel prices in the US causing a headache for motorists, as in other countries, Mr Trump insisted America did not need oil going through the maritime pinch point.

He said: “The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily.

“We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.

“So to those countries that can’t get fuel, many of which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, we had to do it ourselves.”

He continued: “I have a suggestion. Number one, buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much, and number two, build up some delayed courage. Should have done it before. Should have done it with us as we asked, go to the strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.

“Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done, so it should be easy.

“And in any event. When this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally.

“It’ll just open up naturally. They’re going to want to be able to sell oil, because that’s all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down.”

Mr Trump signalled that the end of the conflict, which has divided his supporters, was in sight.

He said: “Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly.

“We’re going to hit them extremely hard. Over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong.”

At the same time he said talks continued with what he described as a new group in Iran that was “less radical and much more reasonable”.

But if a deal was not reached he again warned that the US would strike the country’s energy plants and oil facilities.

“We have all the cards. They have none,” he said.

In apparent acknowledgement of domestic discontent at the month-long Iran offensive, he said it “very important that we keep this conflict in perspective” and pointed to the length of involvement of the US in other wars, including, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.

Mr Trump said: “They (Iran) were the bully of the Middle East, but they’re the bully no longer. This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future.”

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to host talks with a coalition of countries on Thursday aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain is seeking to lead a diplomatic initiative, understood to include 35 countries such as France, Germany and some Gulf nations, to restore access to the waterway, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has admitted it will not be easy.

Following the UK-led meeting, military planners will consider how to make the strait “accessible and safe” after the fighting has stopped, although this is not expected to involve the deployment of Royal Navy warships to police the waterway.

Sir Keir discussed the need for allies to cooperate on “a plan for full freedom of navigation to resume when circumstances allow” in a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to a No 10 readout.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called for a “clear plan” and for no troops to be sent “if they’re not ready”.

She told BBC Breakfast: “We haven’t seen a defence investment plan from the Government. We still haven’t seen how much they’re spending on defence next year.

“So if we’re going to be sending troops and ships to the Strait of Hormuz, I want to make sure that those people are very well prepared for what they’re going to be dealing with.”

Mrs Badenoch also said Mr Trump’s signals that there is division within the Western alliance are a “gift” to adversaries.

She said: “I think that we need to make sure that we do not give gifts to countries like Russia or Iran, making it seem as if there is a split in the Western alliance.

“What President Trump’s words are, is creating that. If they see that the Western countries are squabbling, that’s a gift to them.”

Sir Keir on Wednesday attempted to reassure anxious Britons that the Government has a plan to deal with the cost-of-living pressures caused by the war.

At a news conference, he said Britain would push forward with its pursuit of closer ties with the EU in the wake of the oil crisis and in the face of fraught relations with Mr Trump.

Elsewhere, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she is “angry” Mr Trump launched the Iran war without a “clear plan” and that it would have implications for the UK’s economy.