President Donald Trump suggested Monday that the American military may step back from securing the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments and other international commerce, as the economically critical waterway has become the site of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
“China gets 91% of its Oil from the Straight, Japan 62%, & many other countries likewise. So why are we protecting the shipping lanes for other countries (many years) for zero compensation,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
“All of these countries should be protecting their own ships on what has always been … a dangerous journey,” Trump continued. “We don’t even need to be there in that the U.S. has just become (by far) the largest producer of Energy anywhere in the world!”
The president added: “The U.S. request for Iran is very simple – No Nuclear Weapons and No Further Sponsoring of Terror!”
Trump’s tweets follow several weeks of escalating brinkmanship between Washington and Tehran, with recent Iranian acts of aggression focused near the narrow sea passage connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
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Trump suggests U.S. will stop protecting international shipping in Strait of Hormuzhttps://t.co/p0nwmwfbCr
— POLITICO (@politico) June 24, 2019
Some days, our enemies probably can’t believe their luck. | Trump calls on foreign countries to protect their own oil tankers https://t.co/mdJcJvH3jQ
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 24, 2019
Oh this will be another threat he will pull back from. More reality TV drama.
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