Japan and Australia said on Monday (March 16, 2026) they were not planning to send navy vessels to West Asia to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to create a coalition to reopen the vital waterway.
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Trump pressures NATO, China over Iran’s closure of key waterway
With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran creating turmoil across West Asia and shaking up global energy markets in its third week, Mr. Trump on Sunday (March 16, 2026) insisted that nations relying heavily on oil from the Gulf have a responsibility to protect the strait through which 20% of the world’s energy transits. Markets in Asia opened cautiously, with Brent crude rising more than 1% above $104.50 and regional share markets mostly weaker after Mr. Trump’s comments about enlisting other countries to help safeguard the strait.
Trump says NATO faces ‘very bad’ future if allies don't help open Hormuz
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way from Florida to Washington. “It’s the place from which they get their energy.”
