The US president has demanded that China, Japan, and other nations deploy naval units to the vital route to protect maritime traffic from Iranian strikes

Countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz "must take care" of securing it, US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social late on Saturday, adding that Washington "will help - A LOT!"

The US and Israel began coordinated strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, triggering Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region. The escalating crisis has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world's daily oil and gas supply, after Tehran barred vessels from countries it considers hostile, sending global crude prices up nearly 50% to about $120 a barrel.

In an earlier post the same day, Donald Trump said he hoped "China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area."

"In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water," he wrote.

Western nations have begun bolstering their military presence in the region. Britain is considering additional deployments to the Gulf after Iran stepped up attacks on vessels, Defense Secretary John Healey said, adding that the UK already has autonomous mine-hunting systems in the area.

The French Navy is reportedly deploying about a dozen vessels, including an aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support for allies threatened by the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the strategically vital strait remains operational for international shipping, but vessels linked to the US and Israel are not permitted to pass through the waterway. He emphasized that other nations remain free to navigate the passage.

Last week, an India-bound oil tanker sailing under a Liberian flag passed through the Strait of Hormuz and berthed in Mumbai.

(RT.com)