Buy from US or build courage, protect Hormuz yourselves: Trump tells oil-dependent nations

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said countries dependent on Middle East oil should take responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz, as he blamed Iran for disruptions and rising fuel prices linked to the conflict.

In his televised address to the nation on Wednesday night (local time), Trump said recent increases in gasoline prices were “entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighbouring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.”

He warned that Iran’s actions had heightened risks to global energy flows and reinforced Washington’s position on Tehran. “This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons,” he said.

Trump made clear that the United States would not bear the burden of securing maritime routes alone. Referring to countries reliant on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, he said, “they must take care of that passage… they must grab it and cherish it.”

He said several countries dependent on the route had stayed out of the conflict and should now act. “To those countries that can’t get fuel… many of which refuse to get involved… we had to do it ourselves,” he said.

Trump offered a blunt prescription. “Number one, buy oil from the United States of America… and number two, build up some delayed courage… go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.”

He said disruptions would be temporary and tied to the conflict’s trajectory. “When this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally,” he said, adding that Iran would need to resume oil exports to rebuild its economy.

In the latter part of his remarks, Trump underscored US energy strength as a buffer against global shocks. “America has plenty of gas. We have so much gas,” he said, citing domestic production.

“Under my leadership, we are the number one producer of oil and gas on the planet,” he added, claiming the US produces “more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.”

He said US output, along with supplies from Venezuela, had reduced reliance on Middle Eastern energy. “We’re now totally independent of the Middle East… we don’t need their oil,” Trump said, adding that the US imports “almost no oil” through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump argued that strong domestic production would help stabilise markets once tensions ease. “The gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for oil shipments, with a significant share of global crude passing through the narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Disruptions there can quickly ripple across global markets.

India, which imports a large portion of its crude from the Gulf, remains exposed to volatility in the Strait. Any prolonged disruption or price spike could have direct implications for inflation, trade balances and energy security in the region.

IANS