US President Donald Trump has warned that the country is “going to bomb the h*ll off the coast” in the Strait of Hormuz and expressed hope that other countries will send their warships to the area.
In a post on Truth Social today, Trump wrote: “Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, will send warships in cooperation with the United States of America to keep the Strait open and secure.
Reuters reported in a report that the White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether any countries had agreed to send ships.
“100% of Iran’s military capabilities destroyed”: Trump
Trump went on to claim that the US has “already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capabilities” but that it is easy for the West Asian country to “send a drone or two, drop a mine or deliver a short-range missile somewhere along or in this waterway, no matter how badly they are beaten.” He meant the Strait of Hormuz.
“Hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others affected by this artificial restriction will send ships to the area so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a threat to a nation that has been totally beheaded,” he added.
Trump said that “in the meantime, the United States will bomb the hell out of the coast and constantly shoot Iranian boats and ships out of the water. One way or another, we will soon have the Strait of Hormuz OPEN, SAFE and FREE!”
Is the US escorting vessels through a strategic waterway?
Earlier on March 13, in an interview with Fox News, Trump said that the US would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary. When asked, he said, “We would if we had to. But you know, hopefully things will go very well. We’ll see what happens.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the same day that it cited sources as saying the US was considering sending more warships to the Middle East in preparation for escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. But it added that even with the additional warships, the United States would not begin escorting the vessels until the threat from Iran was reduced.
“This could take a month or more” as the US and Israel continue to pound Tehran with missiles and drones.
Iran has effectively shut down the vital waterway that normally carries a fifth of the world’s oil supplies and a significant number of container ships, according to a Bloomberg report.
